The Scott Conspiracy
by nathansgurl
Summary: When Nathan is charged with murder, only one person can save him: his ex-wife Haley James. Did Nathan do it or is he being framed? Its up to Haley to put together the pieces. Will she be able to solve this mystery before time runs out? Come find out!
1. Chapter 1

**I haven't been able to write a new story in ages (biggest writer's block in the history of writer's blocks). So I'm hoping that posting one of my old stories will somehow manage to boost my creative juices. If I get enough positive feedback, I'll start posting the rest of the chapters. So please please please post your reviews, it only takes a few seconds of your time.**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, season 6 would have been much more interesting.

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**Chapter 1**

The doors of the Supreme Court of justice opened just as the clock struck noon, and the crowd went mad. Television cameras, reporters, photographers, fought with one another, just to get a better glimpse of the scene above. When the petite figure of Haley James, finally came to view, that's when the party really started.

"What are your thoughts on the case?"

"Did Nathan Scott really kill Senator –"

"When is the next hearing?"

"Has Mr. Scott been released on bail?"

The series questions continued one after another, too fast and too many for Haley to answer. So she took the easy way out, the old "no comment" phrase came in quite handy sometimes. As Haley, shoved past the hostile crowd, all she could think of was how she could get away from these people. It made her wonder why she'd decided to become a lawyer in the first place. She wasn't a fan of crowds, correction she hated them. Her life had been going just fine until Nathan Scott decided to barge into it, _again_.

A few days earlier

"Ms. James, your 4:00 clock appointment called in. He said he'd be a little late." said Jenny, her assistant.

"Thanks Jenny that will be all" replied Haley, making sure to sound extra professional. These interns were downright annoying, becoming like teenagers at the sight of some celebrity. Oh and if its some male heartthrob, they'd go completely out of control. That's why she'd picked Jenny, she'd seemed somewhat sensible at the time. Now she wondered why. This one was a sports fan, even worse, every time Lucas came to visit, she'd be short of fainting.

Suddenly Jenny burst into her office, "Ms. James! Ms. James! It's Nathan Scott! Nathan Scott", she yelled, jumping up and down and on the verge of hyperventilating.

"No no no no no! Tell me you did not set up an appointment with Nathan. Please tell me you're joking," yelled Haley. It was now her turn to hyperventilate.

"I did Ms. James. In fact, Mr. Stevens suggested that you take the case. He was quite insistent about it.", replied Jenny, somewhat taken aback by Haley's reaction.

"It figures that Jonathan would give this case to me, you need to take on more high profile clients my ass" muttered Haley.

"What you're still here? Shoo!" she yelled, practically pushing the poor woman out the door.

It wasn't that she didn't want to see Nathan, or that she wasn't interested in the case. It's just that Nathan and she had a lot of history together, and they hadn't really parted on good terms.

"_If you leave, then don't come back. Because as far as I'm concerned, you and me we're done"_

"_Chris, can I talk to you?"_

"_Sorry babe, Chris Keller doesn't go for leftovers", he slams the door on her face._

_Congratulations,_

_You have been accepted to law program at Harvard University…_

"_Look, I know you've all invested a lot of your time and money in order to launch my career. And trust me, this tour, the single, they mean the world to me and for that I'm always going to be thankful but at this time I just don't think launching a singing career is right for me."_

"Umhmm … Ms. James, Mr. Scott is here".

"What? Oh. Send him in" replied Haley, somewhat off balance.

When Nathan walked into the office, it was like time had stopped. Everyone stopped working, they all struggled to get a glimpse of him. Nathan had always had this effect on people, even back in school, long before he became the legendary basketball player that he was now. People seemed to be mesmerized by him. At one point she too had been among those people, except that she'd gotten to know him better than most. At one point of time, she'd known him better than anyone else. At one point she'd been his wife. But then everything changed.

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**A/N: **Should I continue posting the rest? Reviews mean the world to me!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the wonderful reviews. Here's Chapter 2 let me know what you think!**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, season 6 would have been much more interesting.

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"Come in"

"Haley" he said, with a tight smile.

She'd hoped that things had changed since High School, but to her dismay, things were the same as they had always been.

"Nathan, hi, it's good to see you again" said Haley as she reached out to shake his hand.

"Look Haley can you just cut it out? There's no point in acting like we actually like each other so can we just get down to business?" replied Nathan impatiently.

"Down to business? Okay, why are you here Nathan?"

"I'm pretty sure you already know that, unless you've been living in a hole or something. Which come to think of it, if you're anything like you were back in high school you have."

He was going to be a class A jackass then fine. Bring it on.

"Nathan I know about your case. What I meant was what are you doing here, in my office? If you hate me so much then why are you here asking for my help?"

"I'm not asking, I'm demanding. Your boss has assured me that you and only you will me handling this case"

God he was as difficult as ever!

"Why me, Nathan? There are plenty of good lawyers in this city, why did you have to pick me?"

"Well isn't it obvious? Because you're the best and I go for nothing but the best."

"Did you do it Nathan? Did you kill Dan?"

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. Did I Haley? Did I really kill my father? What do you think?"

"It doesn't matter what I think. Just answer the question. Did you or didn't you?"

"Geez you're worse than the police, at least they were interesting."

"Come on Nathan, focus. How can I help you if you won't cooperate with me? It doesn't have to be like this. Just… just trust me okay?"

"Trust you? Sorry, I stopped doing that a long time ago."

It always came back to the same thing. No matter how hard she tried to get past that period of her life, it always came back to haunt her. That's part of the reason why she'd moved away from Tree Hill. Everyone treated her like dirt; they all took his side, even Lucas. When she'd moved to Washington she'd hoped for a fresh start, but here she was, playing mind games with Nathan once more.

"Nathan can we put the past behind us? It's been a long time since then. You've changed, I've changed, everything is different now."

"You're right, I have changed but from what I've seen so far, you're still the ice princess you always were. You still don't get it? You still don't realize what you did to me. You don't regret it one bit. You know what? I've had enough of this. Send a copy of all of your questions to my manager and I'll have him send you my response. I'm not paying you to slack off, I expect you to put 100% effort on this case and I expect you to win it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll let myself out. Goodbye Haley"

And before Haley could say another word, he went out of her office, never looking back.

It took Haley a moment to process everything that just happened. Seven years, seven long years and nothing had changed. Having Nathan back in her life was a mistake she knew it, but what other choice did she have? She had a good thing going and she wasn't going to lose it over Nathan,_ not again_.

Haley tried to remember the first time she'd seen Nathan. Was it at one of Lucas's little league games? Like many things in her life, this too she couldn't remember. Her entire life was made up, since childhood she'd had this problem. She couldn't remember the day when both her parents were killed in a car crash, she couldn't remember how she'd ended up at Lucas's house. There were so many such things in her life. She had been robbed of every emotional moment of her lifetime. All she knew of them were what people told her and from that she'd formed her own memories. What the real truth was, she'd never come to know. There were so many holes in her string of memories but the memories of Nathan and her were painfully clear. And no matter how much she tried to forget that part of her life, it always came back to bite her in the ass. She'd been ostracized by everyone who cared for her. When she split with Nathan, everyone took his side, even the one's closest to her.

Haley hated Nathan for that. He'd taken away everything that ever meant something to her and then had the audacity to blame her for everything that happened. Even after all these years, she hadn't been able to forget Nathan. The fact that there were posters of him all over the city could have something to do with it perhaps. In the past few years, Nathan had popped up everywhere, on TV, the radio, magazines, she simple couldn't get past him. Everywhere she looked, she saw his pictures and in all of them, he always seemed to stare at her, taunting her, making fun of her. Perhaps it was paranoia speaking but that's what she felt. She'd left him and everything he meant so many years ago and yet she was still back to being the girl that everyone hated and didn't give a damn about back in high school. So what if she'd become one of the best lawyers in the country, so what if she was living the life most couldn't only dream of, none of it mattered because she'd left the great Nathan Scott to go on tour, to follow her dream. To this day she didn't understand why everyone had turned against her. Why was it okay for Nathan to pursue his dreams but not her? She'd thought that if she quit the music business and came back home, that things would be different but no, not a chance. Everyone was as cruel as ever. And worst of them was Nathan, the day she came back, the first thing he did was to hand her the divorce papers. No "welcome home honey". Or "Hi honey how was your trip? Nothing of the sort, just "sign these papers and get out", his exact words.

At the time she'd been too stunned to do anything else. She'd signed the papers and left. It wasn't until later that she realized the mistake she'd made. The fact that she'd signed the papers without protesting seemed to strengthen his animosity toward her. Since then, he'd been at his absolute cruellest, ridiculing her, embarrassing her, hurting her time and time again until she couldn't handle it anymore and left. She'd wanted him to stop her, to say that he was sorry but he never did. All he said was "Leave Haley, because that's what you're best at. So leave, get out of my house, my town, get out of my life. I never want to see you again" and then he shut the door.

That's the thing with Nathan Scott, when he made a decision, he never looked back. His word was law, and the funny thing is everyone chose to abide by it, Haley no exception.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks again for your reviews. Here's another update. Sorry if the story seems kind of slow. I need to set the story's premise and introduce some key characters before we can focus on the main plot and delve into the world of Naley angst and romance hehe.  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, season 6 would not have been so sleep worthy.

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WHO KILLED DAN SCOTT?

New York City, Jan 1, -- Nathan Scott's publicist has confirmed reports that Haley James has been hired as head defence attorney in senator Dan Scott's murder case. Predicted as the most controversial case since that of O.J Simpson, Ms. James has a lot riding on her shoulders. As reported previously, Senator Dan Scott was rescued from his burning penthouse apartment, in Washington around 1 am Christmas day. Police reports have confirmed that this was a case of arson and that there was a definite murder attempt. Autopsy reports confirm that the late senator died of poisoning, not the because of the severe burn as was initially thought. The senator passed away the morning after the incident.

The question that's on everyone's mind is who killed Senator Scott and why? Dan Scott's political career started off as mayor in the small town of Tree Hill, North Carolina. Since then, his career escalated so much so that there were talks of him running as a presidential candidate in the coming elections. Now the question is what was the motive behind this incident?

The police have named his son, and two-time MVP Washington wizards starter Nathan Scott as the prime suspect. Mr. Scott's lawyers were unreachable for the moment but as soon as we can get more information, we'll keep you posted on the latest news.

***

The news was everywhere, on every television screen, on every newspaper, everyone in the entire country knew that she was going to be fighting Nathan's case. If it were anyone else, Haley would have taken it up as a challenge. She would have gotten to the bottom of things, pieced together the truth of it all and if she thought that the case was credible, she'd fight for it. She'd give it her everything. That's what everyone admired about her, her intense devotion toward her work. If this case involved anyone else, she would have jumped at the occasion to fight it but in this case she still had doubts.

For as long as she'd been in this field, she'd worked with absolute strangers, she'd always been entirely objective. But for this case she wasn't sure how she'd handle it. This case wasn't just any other murder case, this case was too close to home. If Nathan turned out to be the real killer how would she handle it? When she'd read about Dan Scott's murder she'd been quite overjoyed by the news. Dan Scott was the scum of earth and contrary to what people believed, those close to him knew how much of a bastard he really was. The man was no saint; he was a cunning, manipulative, selfish bastard who deserved what was coming.

Dan Scott was ruthless, he only cared for himself. Even after years, Dan hadn't gotten off her case. She was no longer a Scott, she was no threat to him but still, every so often he'd check up on her. Somewhere in that twisted mind of his, he'd come to the conclusion that in spite of everything that had happened, Haley being the typical money laundering trophy wife, would come back to Nathan grovelling, and Nathan the ever forgiving idiotic son of his would take her back, no questions asked. And together they'd go about on a quest to bring down the great Dan Scott. For man with such a self confident image, he sure was insecure and paranoid. No wonder Deb left him, who could put up with that?

After a long day at work, when Haley finally reached her small but cozy apartment, she collapsed on the living room couch. Just when she thought that she'd finally be able to relax for a bit, the voice of the ever cheerful Brooke Davis echoed from the answering machine.

"Hey tutorwench watcha doing tonight? See I figure we could go down to this party that this guy invited me to --"

It was so like Brooke Davis to start a conversation with an answering machine. Brooke Davis, model extraordinaire was Haley's bestest friend since high school. She knew Haley better than Haley herself.

"What's up Brookie, how'd you know I was here?"

"Oh come on I'm your BFF, I'm psychic! Let me guess, you're on your living room couch, either sleeping or moping or doing both am I right?"

Damn the girl was good, thought Haley.

"Okay what's with this party you speak of? Art thou expecting to make Frére Lucas jealous once more? 'Cause thou knowest that thou canst right?"

"Party? What party? I called to talk about Nathan."

"What the hell Brooke? How do you know about that?"

"Well see the thing is … who do you think suggested that Nathan ask for your umm… expertise?"

"OH MY GOD BROOKE!! I can't believe you did that!" said Haley furious with the person on the other line.

"Oh come on you guys seriously need sort out your issues. How long do you expect us to be on hyper alert when we're around either of you. He's Lucas's brother, how long do you think you can avoid him?"

"Well that's my decision to make isn't it?

"Well that's too bad, what's done is done. Now deal with it. So tell me, what happened?"

"Ugh, what do you think happened? He was the biggest jerk ever. He told me send him a list of questions and he'll have someone get back to me. I mean who does he think he is?"

"Oh come on, you know him, did you really expect him to treat you nicely after everything that happened?"

"Well no, I suppose not. Look Brooke I have to fly to North Carolina, in couple of hours and I need to setup a schedule so I'll call you later okay?"

"Girl you really need to live a little, your life can't be run on a schedule, when are you going to realize that?"

"Never! Bye Brooke"

"Bye"

Now that she'd finished being, interrogated, it was time for her to face what she was dreading the most – going back. She hadn't been to Tree Hill since she graduated from high school. She was afraid to go back, there were too many painful memories attached to the place and the last thing she wanted to do was to relive them. But alas she had no choice, while there she planned to focus on her work and nothing else, hopefully being distracted would help her get through the period.

Tree Hill, North Carolina

The first thing she noticed as she stepped foot in Tree Hill was that things hadn't changed much. As she drove past the high school, a group cheerleaders and jocks caught her eye. There was this one boy, tall, handsome, probably the new king of Tree Hill High and it reminded her of Nathan. Then there was this other kid sitting under a tree, pretending to read a book but in reality gazing at the popular crowd,imagining herself among them, that girl was she, a couple of years ago. No, things hadn't changed one bit. Sure they were a different set of kids but in a way they were all the same. Their parents had once been like them and so had their grandparents. It was sort of a vicious cycle. There were so many memories attached to this town. Sure, no one recognized her anymore but that didn't make things much easier. It was like she could relive the incidents kind of like scenes of a movie. The beach where they'd been married, the docks, her old house, it was all just so painful to look at.

After wandering around for some time, Haley found herself standing in front of Karen's Café. From the outside, it looked pretty much the same, but inside it was a whole new world. Once upon a time this used to be a small little café, with Karen running on marginal profit. Now this tiny little place had become part of a large chain of stores spread across the country, kind of like Starbucks or 2nd Cup. Through the window she saw herself waiting tables, talking to the customers, and in between taking a jab at the latest algebra problem. It felt good to remember the days when things had been so simple, back when it had been only her and Luke. She wondered if Karen still had the mini golf set up on the roof. For a moment, Haley considered going in, but then decided against it, she wasn't ready to face those memories just yet. The café was like her second home, and for some reason she was terrified of the thought that if she went inside, she'd feel like a stranger.

She hadn't spoken to Karen in years, now that she thought about it, it really was kind of a shame because Karen had been one of the few people that were still nice to her. The more Haley explored the town she once lived in, the more she realized how much she'd missed it. She hated herself for being weak, she'd given up and fled the scene rather than fight it. If she hadn't run away from her problems back then, maybe her life would have been different – better. She wanted to blame it all on Nathan but in her heart she knew that they were both responsible for their broken marriage.

Rather than dwelling on the past, as she had been doing from the moment she set foot in Tree Hill, Haley decided to get down to business. Her first task would be to visit those close to Dan, see if they'd noticed anything suspicious. The first place on her list – Keith's Auto Shop.

The first thing she noticed when she arrived was that what once used to be a small auto repair shop, overflowing with all kinds of gadgets had now become sort of a giant hardware store. Sure they still repaired cars, but now that was only a small part of the business. As she admired the brilliant transformation around her, a well dressed medium height, brown haired man approached. For a moment she couldn't recognize the man in front of her but once he let out a familiar kind-hearted grin, it all came back to her. The man in front of her was none other than Keith Scott, only clean shaven and a hell of a lot more sophisticated.

"Hello Hales, it's good to see you again"

"Same here Uncle Keith"

And without a moment hesitation, Keith enveloped her into a warm hug. She realized that she'd really missed this. Being that she'd lived most of her life with Karen and Luke, Keith had become sort of a second father to her. It felt good to be back. Being in Keith's loving arms made her feel so safe, a feeling she'd shared with only two other men in her life, Nathan and Lucas.

"So how are you doing, you know with Dan gone and Nathan being accused of it all?"

"Dan had it coming, the way he treated people in this town, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. As for Nathan, I just can't imagine how he could do something like this. Do you really think he's capable of doing such a thing?"

To be honest, she didn't know what to think. All she could do was hope that it wasn't true. Partly because she believed that no matter how ruthless Nathan was, he wasn't capable of being a killer. And partly because if Nathan did turn out to be the culprit then it would mean that she'd fallen in love with a criminal, a thought that she simply couldn't get past.

"Well I don't know if he's done it or not. That's what I'm here to find out. Would you mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Of course not, go ahead" he replied with the same familiar grin.

Haley had to remind herself that she was here on official business, and that no matter how much she adored the man sitting in front of her, he could very well turn out to be the culprit. After all, he had motive, and opportunity thereby making him one of the prime suspects of this case, at least in her book.

"Do you mind going on record?"

"No, that's no problem"

"Right, so where were you the night of 24th December"

"At Dan's Christmas Party"

"How long were you there?"

For a moment his face went blank but as soon as it came, it was gone and he was back to being good 'ol Keith Scott.

"I'm not entirely sure, I was pretty out of it. You know how Dan is, its hard to be around him while you're sober."

"I know what you mean" chuckled Haley. If anything, they were probably the two most hated people in Dan's Scott's book.

"Do you remember anything? Was Nathan at the party?"

"Yeah, he came in sometime around 10 I think. Had a blonde woman with him, I think she's reporter or something. I know I've seen her somewhere."

"How was he that night? Did you notice anything strange in the days before the incident? Did you notice anything odd about Dan's behaviour?"

"He seemed pretty fine to me, nothing out of the ordinary."

"The last I heard, you and Dan weren't on particularly good terms. So why go visit him all the way to Washington?"

"He said he had something important to say. He said he wanted a second chance."

"And you believed him?"

"Yeah, he seemed genuine when he said it" said Keith with a sad smile.

Was he actually missing Dan?

"Alright thanks Keith. Let me know if you remember anything else. Here's my number" said Haley as she handed him the small piece of paper.

"Don't be a stranger now Haley. You might be a big shot lawyer now but we're still your family. Come see me again before you leave will you?"

"I will, I promise", replied Haley as she walked out.

Next on the list: Deb Scott, scratch that, Deb Lee. Dan and Deb had gotten divorced shortly after Haley left.

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**So how did you like it? Press that green button to let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay. Here's the next chapter. This chapter gives you a little more information on the past. Thanks to everyone who left reviews. I hope you'll do the same for this chapter.  
**

**_kutebloo_****_:_**I've never watched CSI but considering that its one of the highest rated TV Shows today, I take that as a huge compliment. Thanks

_**M.A**_: Your interpretation of Haley is dead-on. I agree, its like Haley had to face too much at the same time. Being so young, it was all a bit too much to handle for her. But as they say, you learn from your mistakes and look how far she's come. I love the maturity and growth Haley has displayed on the show from season 2 till now. She's the perfect wife, mother, mentor, friend. I really wish she had more storylines on the show. I feel like she is always ignored in favour of Brooke and Peyton.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, the story would be about the fab five, not the rest of the ridiculously boring secondary characters (Hint: Mia, Mouth, and company).

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_Next on the list: Deb Scott, scratch that, Deb Lee. Dan and Deb had gotten divorced shortly after Haley left._

Haley knew that this meeting wouldn't go as smoothly as it did with Kieth. The last time she'd seen Deb, the woman had been furious with her. She blamed Haley for her son's broken marriage. In fact, it was because of her that Haley had decided to leave Tree Hill.

_After signing the divorce papers, the implications of her actions finally sunk in. She couldn't even get past the Scott property. She sat the footstep and just broke down. She simply couldn't understand how Nathan could throw away their relationship like that. Given the history between Nathan and Lucas, they'd really had to fight for their relationship. After all of that, how could he just give up them? _

_It was a beautiful night, the wind was blowing, and the stars seemed to light up the night sky. It was the kind of night where couples would go out to take a stroll. Haley wished she could be one of those people. At the sound of the door creaking open, Haley quickly wiped away her tears. She wasn't going to let Nathan have the satisfaction of seeing her cry over him. Except it wasn't Nathan. It was Deb._

_"Can I sit here?" asked Deb cautiously._

_"Of course, it's your house", replied Haley with a sad smile._

_Deb had always been really nice to her. Haley really looked up to her._

_"Look Haley, I suppose I could be more sympathetic toward you but to tell you the truth, I don't think you deserve it."_

_Haley was stunned; she thought that Deb had come here to console her. Now she knew she was wrong to assume so._

_"My son has had enough taken away from him. When you came into his life, I really thought you'd be good for him. Now I realise I was wrong. I hate to admit it, but Dan had been right all along. When you left Haley, Nathan was absolutely devastated. It took him a long time to finally get past you. And just when he's finally begun to move forward with his life, what makes you think you can just waltz in here to ruin it for him?"_

_"I'm not ruining anything. I love your son and I'm willing to do anything to make our marriage work. It's your son who is at fault here. It's absolutely fine for him to go off to high flyers and what not and me? I can't go after my dreams? Don't you think that's kind of selfish?"_

_"No. selfish is you abandoning him. If you'd asked, I think Nathan would have gone to the end of the world and come back if it meant that he could make you happy. We can argue about this all night and we'd never be able to agree on whose fault it is. I know my son is not perfect but he's a hell of a lot better than you are. As far as I'm concerned, he's better off without you. This is a check for $100 000, take this maybe get a proper education or something. In exchange, I ask that you leave Tree Hill and not try to contact my son. You may not agree but this really is the best thing in the long run."_

_On one hand, she was absolutely disgusted at the thought the Deb would try to bribe her like this. But the realist part of her knew that this really was the best thing. Who knows if she'd ever be able to get Nathan to forgive her, but with this money, her future would be secured. She'd be able to pay her way through college, get a new life, move on._

_Thus, she took the money and according to the agreement, left Tree Hill shortly after._

1717, chapel Hill, the address Deb's secretary had given her turned out to be the headquarters of Phoenix enterprises, the company that owns Karen's Café and a series of other establishments. It was large white building, built around circa 1870's. The entrance opened to large hall, lavishly decorated with marble flooring, and unique sculptures. At the end of the hall hung a large portrait of Karen and Deb side by side, sharing a knowing smile. It wasn't like any other office she'd visited before. In spite of its grandeur, Haley felt completely at home in this place. If anything, she knew it was all of Karen's doing. Back at Karen's Café there used to be a sign reminding them that everyone inside was like a family. The concept of having a professional relationship with one's customers was simply unfathomable to Karen. Haley was happy to know that success of her business hadn't gotten to her. That Karen still upheld the values she'd instilled in those around her not so long ago.

"Excuse me, I have an appointment with Deb Lee, my name is Haley James".

The girl in front of her, she couldn't be more than 16. In fact, the entire staff seemed to be around that age; moreover they were all either teenage mothers or fathers. Karen had always been an inspiration for Haley, it ceased to amaze her as to how caring the woman could be.

"Yes, Ms. Lee has been waiting for you. Right this way", said the girl as she led Haley to Deb's office.

At first sight, Deb looked exactly the same as she'd been the last time she'd seen her. But as she got closer, Haley noticed the slight changes. She'd grown out her hair; there were even strands of the occasional grey hair. But her eyes were still the same, crystal blue, like Nathan's. Except, unlike his, there was no fire in them, they were just … blank. As if the years of turmoil had finally gotten the best of her.

"Why Haley James, I figured you'd show up sooner or later" said the women with a peculiar smile.

"Here, here come sit, it's been a while. We have lots to talk about", continued Deb as she ushered in.

"I see you've outdone yourself. What is it 130 cafés, countrywide?"

"Actually more like 150 but who keeps count these days" replied Deb with a million dollar smile.

To the outsider, this conversation would seem nothing but ordinary. But to Haley James, it was anything but. Had Deb finally come to terms with what happened so long ago or was this all some sort of a façade?

"Look Mrs. Scott –"

"Lee, its Lee now. I went back to using my maiden name."

"Okay Ms. Lee, I'm here about Nathan –"

"Come to rub it in have you. By all means feel free to gloat."

Now that's the Deb she'd expected. All those years with Dan, she'd definitely picked up on some of his qualities. Paranoia, being one of them.

"Look, I'm not here to gloat, or so as you say. Contrary to what you might think, I'm actually here to save your son. Now if you'll please, just cooperate with me, we can just get this over with".

"The sooner the better."

***

The more she investigated, the more puzzling this case was becoming. As the days went by, the more and more confusing it got. Everyone she interviewed had the same thing to say. Dan had invited them to the party, said he wanted a second chance. No one had seen anything peculiar. How is it possible that everything was perfectly fine, not a single person had anything bad to say about Dan and yet on the night that he finally decides to change his ways, someone poisons him and leaves him to turn into a pile of dust. Was everything really fine and dandy or was it all part of a large cover up?

She'd been on this case for days, and not a single clue had come up. There were no new evidence to connect Nathan to the case but then again, nothing had been uncovered to prove that Nathan was innocent either. It was beginning to look like she was going to lose this case, something that would be a first in her career. As the abundance of questions plagued her mind, she found herself at the river court. It was just after four and bunch of kids had just arrived. As they played she found herself lost in her memories again.

_"Luke come on, don't make me play. You know I'm going to fall flat on my face." _

_ "You're not going to fall. And even if you do, that's just more entertainment for us", grinned Lucas_

_ "Nathan you suck. You're my boyfriend, you're supposed to be on my side."_

_ "Sorry babe, we need another player and you're the only one around at the moment. Try not to embarrass us okay."_

That had been a wonderful day. It was the last week of school and they had held a slave for a day event where people got to buy the Raven's Cheerleaders for a day and have them do whatever they were asked. Nathan and Lucas had bought her and they'd tortured her the entire day. From playing basketball, to watching boring action movies, she'd had to endure things that no self-respecting girl would ever have to do. And looking back, she wouldn't give it up for the world. That was one of the best days of her life, she'd do anything to have another day like that.

For a long time, she'd been terrified at the thought of coming back but now that she was here she regretted not having come here sooner. In spite of living in the city for so many years, she was still a small town girl at heart.

HALEY'S POV

Coming to Tree Hill was good on a personal level, it helped me get in touch with my childhood, something I lost along the way. But when it comes to a professional level, it was a waste of time. Everyone I've talked to says the same thing that they were at the party but left long before the murder took place. This investigation was going nowhere and the date of the next hearing was fast approaching. There was no option other than to face what I was least looking forward to, talking to Nathan first hand. From my experience, in these sorts of cases, the tiniest bits of information can have the greatest impact. It was absolutely imperative for Nathan to cooperate, if not, he would be sure to go to prison.

Haley's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her cell phone.

"Hello"

"Hi, is this Haley James?"

"Yes, this is she"

"Hi, this is Jake Jagielski from People Magazine. I was hoping we could schedule an interview?"

"Really, with me? I thought you'd be more keen on interviewing my client, ."

"Yes, we did contact him but we were told to contact you if we wanted to discuss anything related to his case"

"right"

It figures that Nathan would do that, leave all the dirty work to me while he went about pretending like nothing had happened. I would love to refuse the interview and let Nathan fend for himself, but unfortunately this wouldn't go well with the bosses. Refusing such a high profile interview was as good as admitting that Nathan was guilty. If we had any chance of winning the case, I'd have give the public the impression that we were confident of Mr. Scott's innocence, this interview was the best way to go about giving it.

"Yes, Ms. Jagielski, I'd be happy to meet you"

The interview was set for Friday, exactly a week after the first hearing.

***

Present day (A few days after the first hearing. I.e. a few days after the very first scene of the story)

Beverly Hills, California

Speaking with Nathan's assistant and long time lackey Tim Smith. I'd been able to find out that Nathan was taking a week long vacation. He'd sent away the entire household staff. Apparently all this media attention was getting to him. Who knew that Nathan Scott would ever get sick of the media. For as long as I'd known him, Nathan had loved the limelight. I guess even Nathan Scott can act like a human being once in a while.

So anyway, the only way to get Nathan to talk me was to set up an ambush. Not very professional I know, but Nathan wasn't exactly cooperating now was he?

Nathan was staying in Beverly Hills this week. It figures that he would go there to evade the media. Yes, the hills boasted of the largest concentration of celebrity residences in the entire country but if you ask me, its not as great as people make it out to be. The area is practically a forest, you can barely see anything because of the large expanse of trees. Oh and the cameras and the threatening messages in front of the houses, are downright intimidating.

At first the plan was to project myself as one of the many female companions, Nathan chose to be surrounded by. But then it occurred to me that considering the fact that I had managed to make it on the cover of Time and god knows how many other magazines, the security guys would probably recognize me and send me on my merry way. That's why I enlisted the help of Lucas. He was Nathan's brother after all, surely he'd be able to get in.

And that's how I did it. I hid in the back of Lucas's car until we'd safely entered the Scott estate. Lucas waited until I'd entered the mansion and then he left me to fend for myself.

To say that Nathan's house was big would be an understatement. It was like a different world in there. People were dying of starvation and Nathan was spending his money filling his home with things he couldn't possibly want or need. I swear to god, I thought I was going to get lost in there.

After searching for God knows how long. I finally found Nathan in what looked like the tenth living room I'd seen so far. He was on of those oversized Italian leather sofas that I'd been eyeing for the longest time. The problem is, they cost something like $10000. But I suppose to Nathan, it was as good as a plastic pool chair. The last I heard, he was earning something like $500 million in 5 years. What he could possibly be doing with all that money, I could never figure out.

So anyway, when I found Nathan, he was asleep. I couldn't help but notice how cute he looked.

_Nathan was asleep on the living room couch. He stayed home from school because he hadn't been feeling very well. His legs were sprawled on the lengths of the sofa while his head hung midair, with the slightest hint of drool shining under the afternoon sky. Haley carefully slid on to the couch, turned off the television and proceeded to kiss her husband. Nathan slept like the dead, alarms, telephones, yelling in his ear, nothing worked. The only thing that did was Haley's kisses. At first, Nathan wasn't responding, he must have been really tired. Just as she was about to give up, she felt him deepening the kiss.  
_

_"Hey babe, when did you get home?" he said, barely above a whisper_

It's strange how you can know them so well and yet not know them at all. As I sat beside him, thinking of ways to wake him up, I really looked at him for once. Not as my client, or my ex-husband, I really noticed him as a person. In spite of the new haircut, further enhanced body structure, not to mention the complete change of personality, Nathan was still the boy I fell in love with. I didn't know what he liked or didn't like, I didn't know who his friends were, I didn't know anything about his life and yet it felt like I knew him better than anyone ever could. I knew all the curves of his face, his nervous habits, his innermost secrets, everything and yet there was no denying that we were practically strangers.

"How'd you get in here?" said a voice, clearly annoyed by my presence.

I broke out of my daze just in time to see Nathan glaring at me. And boom, it was back to normal. I'd gone from admiring him to hating him all in a matter of seconds.

"That doesn't matter".

"To me it does" he retorted.

"If you must know, Lucas dropped me off. Now before you go off spouting insults of various kinds, I should let you know that this case is getting very much out of hand".

It looked like he had something to say but I ignored him. Smartass comments were not needed at the moment.

"Your prints were found on the bottle of champagne that supposedly held the poison and you were the last person seen at the location prior to the discovery of the Senator's body".

"You speak as if he's just some stranger. All things aside, he was still my father."

I couldn't help but laugh. He was the last person to give a damn about his father. For the longest time, he'd spoken of Dan as if he were dead so what gave him the right to criticize other people's manner of speaking?

"Oh like you care. I'm pretty sure you're happy that he's finally gone. No one to pick your sorry ass apart, no one to blame you for your shortcomings, I mean it must be a relief right?"

"You did not just say that. You come into my house, you have the nerve to insult me, my father, who's next? My mother? How about uncle Keith?"

"Look –"

"You know what the best thing about divorcing you is? I don't have to listen to your crap any more."

That was the last straw. I was sick of everything always coming down to this one thing that happened so long ago. I was tired of everyone blaming me for following my dreams; I was tired of having to justify my decisions.

Just as Nathan was about to get up and leave the room, I decided then and there that I would get it all out in the open. Everything I'd been holding in for all these years, it was finally time get them out.

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**Reviews greatly appreciated. Thanks!  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi again. Sorry for the wait, I've been a little distracted lately. Anyway, here's the next chapter. Please Please Please review!  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, Haley would have more story lines.

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"Don't walk away Nathan, not again"

Nathan swiftly spun around, clearly pissed.

"Me? Walk away? If memory serves right, it was you that walked away from us, not me."

"You were the one who wanted the divorce, not me. You should be happy, I gave you your freedom. If we were still together, you'd never be able to make up with your parents or go this far with your career. If you ask me, I think I did you a favour"

"Am I hearing this correctly? You did me a favour? You made my life an absolute hell! Those couple of months while you were on tour, do you have any idea how miserable I was. I would have done anything for you, quit basketball, go on tour with you, I would have done anything to make us work, where as you, you never even gave us a chance."

Talking to Nathan was like talking to a brick wall. No matter how hard you tried to explain things, he'd just never understand.

"Nathan don't you see? It was always going to be either me or you, whose dreams were more important. If I'd asked you to go on tour with me, for a while it would be good. I'd get to be living my dream and you'd be the loving husband. But what would happen after that? For a while you'd go along with it, just to make me happy but later on you'd resent me for taking away your dreams. When I decided to go on tour, I wasn't being selfish, I was being realistic."

"Tell me Haley, was it just about the music? Or did it have something to do with Chris Keller as well? Did you have feelings for him?"

"Nathan –"

"It's a simple question Haley, did you or didn't you?"

When I remained silent, he took it as a yes.

" I thought so. I knew about the kiss at the train station, but did you with sleep with him too?" he asked as he inched closer to her.

"Tell me Haley, did he fuck your brains out like I did. Make you scream with delight with a single kiss. Did he ever love you so much that it physically hurt to be away from you?" continued Nathan huskily, a mere inches from her face.

I had forgotten what it felt like to be around Nathan. He could be utterly repulsive and yet undeniably sexy at the same time. I dated a couple of people after Nathan but none of them could ever set me on fire like he did, and apparently still could do. That's not to say that I was going to let him get to me. There was not a chance in hell that I was going to let him gain some sort of satisfaction out of my discomfort. So I did what I had to do. I pushed him, hard. He ended up falling to the floor.

"What was that for?" he yelled.

"For being an ass, Nathan, what do you think? If you must know, I didn't sleep with him. We may have fooled around once or twice, but it didn't mean anything. You weren't talking to me and the rest of the people I cared about were treated me like shit. You have no idea how alone I felt, and unlike you, Chris was there for me. When no one was there to listen, he was there to make it better. That's more than I can say for you."

"You know what? Fuck you. Just do what you came here to do and get out"

"You know what I realised? You're just like Dan! You don't face your problems, you think that just pushing people away will solve things but it won't. It will only get worse. Oh and by the way, don't flatter yourself, I am not in the least interested in spending a minute more that what is needed in this hellhole that you call a home of yours. Just answer the questions as clearly as humanly possible and I'll be out of your way. Got it?"

"Fine" he yelled, annoyed as hell.

"You went to Dan's party is that right?"

"Yes"

"The last time I heard, you and your father were still on a non-speaking term so why would you bother going to his party?"

"Image of course. Haley, have you ever been to a society gathering?"

For a moment, I pondered on the question, knowing fully well that the answer was a definite no. The last time I'd been to a party was probably in college, and that too, not of my own willingness. I'd been to a number of mindless frat parties out of Lucas and Brooke's insistence. A frat party – a far cry from the evening gowns and caviar that Nathan was referring to.

"No, I suppose not", I finally replied in honesty.

"A society party is kind of like the defining factor among the elite. Dan was a highly influential personality, news of a fallout would drive the media wild. I'd be on every tabloid magazine across the country. I've worked hard to put my past behind, and I'll do anything, including going to Dan's kiss ass jamboree to keep it that way".

Was he really that embarrassed of me? There were so many unanswered questions when it came to the past.

Unwilling to get into another argument, I continued with the investigation: "Did you go alone?"

"Heh, wouldn't you like to know"

"Just answer the question", said I demanded, becoming rather impatient.

"I was with Peyton"

"Sawyer?"

"Yes"

"Okay, I'm going to need her number. Okay, so how long were you there?"

"An hour or two, I didn't check to see the time", replied Nathan clearly irritated.

He kept playing with this mini basketball, not even having the decency to look at me while he answered my questions. Most of the time, in spite of my relatively petite structure, people are intimidated. This utter lack of attention on Nathan's part was driving me mad, but still, for sake of the case and my spotless career thus far, I kept my cool.

"And during this time, did you speak to Dan?"

"Well yeah, its common courtesy to speak to the host isn't it?"

"That's not what I meant. Did you engage in any sort of conversation with him?"

"No"

"And you didn't visit his office?"

"No, the party was limited to the living room only"

"So explain to me how your prints ended up on that bottle of campaign?"

"I don't know, I was pretty drunk, everything's pretty foggy from that night. I thought I was paying you to be on my side."

"I _am_ on your side damn it."

I needed a moment to collect myself. Being around Nathan always drove me to the edge. If I made the wrong move, Nathan would go back to being uncooperative. And given the critical state of things, this was something that neither of us could afford.

"Look Nathan, I'll be honest with you, your case doesn't look good right now. The only reason you haven't been spending the last few days in police custody is because you're such a big star and even the American justice system goes easy on people like you. Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? You've been named the prime suspect in the murder of a highly respected senator, not to mention a presidential candidate. The prosecution will portray you as a spoiled rich boy who let the fame get to his head. They'll bring out your past, your troubled childhood, broken marriage, tumultuous relationships, they'll make it out to look like an act of vengeance Nathan."

"Don't you think I realise that Haley? I can't turn on the television or read the newspaper, because I know what they've written about me. Everywhere I go, people treat me like dirt. They don't see me as the gifted basketball player, they see me as the kind of guy who'd kill their own father. Everything I've worked for is slipping away and I can't seem to do a single thing about it. I hate this Haley. I admit Dan and I had our differences, but you have to believe me, I would never stoop that low. I would never kill him, Haley."

He looked like a lost little boy, holding on to the last shred of hope that things would get better but knowing very well that it wouldn't. No matter how many times I saw this face, I could never get used to it. Even after all these years, watching him in pain made me want to cry too. I was at a loss of what to do. Back when we were together, when Nathan would come to me after a particularly grueling practice with his dad, I'd hold him tightly and listen to him while he spilled his innermost thoughts until he fell asleep. Now however, the situation was entirely different. I wasn't his wife or girlfriend anymore, O was his lawyer now. And my job description didn't require me to console my client for his falling stardom. The last thing I needed was to get attached to him.

"I believe you Nathan", I said softly.

"You do?"

"Yes"

For the next couple of days, things seemed to get easier for us. That day some sort of an unspoken agreement had been reached. As long as neither of us spoke of the past, we would be able to get along.

***

New York City

The head office of People Magazine was everything you'd expect it to be. Located at the heart of New York city, it was one of the tallest buildings on the block. My guess is that its at least forty stories high, maybe even higher. As I pushed through the heavy glass revolving doors, I couldn't help but take a moment to admire my surroundings. Tall ceilings, contemporary architecture, and hundreds of people in fancy suits, moving about with cell phones attached to their ears. Pushing through the crowd, I finally reached what I could only guess was some sort of reception area. Just like everyone else in the building, the lady behind the counter was impeccably dressed, not a single strand of hair out of place.

"May I help you?" asked the lady, rather rudely if you ask me.

"Yes, I'm here to see Mr. … " I shuffled through my purse, triumphantly pulling out the bit of torn paper on which I'd scribbled the guy's name.

"Mr. Jagielski, I'm here to see "

The woman looked at me as if I was mad. So what if I was wearing a simple white summer dress that I'd bought for ten bucks at a flee market back in Tree Hill. What right did she have to look down on me like that? How was I supposed to know that people were so damn formal around here? People in the magazines always look so casually dressed (not that I'd been reading gossip magazines or anything). It's just that Brooke leaves those magazines, all around my apartment hoping that I'll actually acquire some sort of a fashion sense, not that I don't have any although Brooke seems to think so. I mean even I know that you aren't supposed to wear white after Labour Day, that's something right?

Anyway, Mr. Jagielski turned out to be this really nice man. About 25/26, around 6 feet tall, with curly brown hair, and a smile that just lit up his face.

"Mr. Jagielski, I'm Haley James it's nice to meet you"

"Please, call me Jake", he replied as her ushered me to sit down.

"Would you like something to drink? Soda, coffee?" he asked.

Maybe it was to get me comfortable so as to extract the juiciest details concerning Nathan's case, but I'll tell you this much; Jake was the first nice guy I'd met since I arrived in the big apple.

"No thanks, if you don't mind, I'd like to get right into the interview"

"No problem, Ms. James"

"Haley", I corrected, it felt odd being called by my last name.

"Okay, Haley, I'll get right to the point. We know that your client has been named as the prime suspect for Dan Scott's murder –"

"Death, there is no definite proof that late was indeed murdered", I interjected.

"Oh so poisoning doesn't signify murder."

"If I were you, I'd let jury be the judge of that"

Everyone was right, this Jagielski person was brutal. From what I'd been able to gather, he had literally shot to the top. While others in his age range, started their careers as lowly assistants in mediocre magazine companies, Jake's cutting remarks and sleuthing abilities had had every news paper and magazine companies fighting for him, from the moment he graduated, from Princeton, might I add.

"Touché Ms. James. As per the hearing on January 17th, its clear that the case will be transferred to criminal court isn't that right?"

"Yes"

"After multiple requests for media coverage of Mr. Scott's trial, why have you specifically requested against it? Because I'm getting the distinct impression that you are afraid that it would some how weaken your case?"

The smug bastard, I'd seen so many of them. They were always trying trick you into saying things you didn't want to say.

"Oh see that's where you're wrong. I'm confident that my client is innocent in this case. I've asked that the media not be allowed to enter the court room because I don't want to make a spectacle out of this."

"Spectacle? I'm sorry but given Mr. Scott's position, I think the public has the right to know don't you think?"

"I disagree. Just because my client is a celebrity doesn't mean that his private life is like an open book. He has his right to privacy and I intend on keeping it that way. My client has always been a good man, a good son, a caring brother, not to mention an exceptional basketball player. Letting the media in would only tarnish the image that he's worked so hard to build. He is not a criminal and we will not let the media paint him as one."

Hah! Take that mister big fat crime reporter! Nathan may not be as wonderful as I made him out to be, but he's a hell of a lot better than you are. At least he's not a story hungry maniac who'll stoop to any level to get juicy gossip.

"You speak so strongly of him. We know of your former marriage, have you stayed close after the divorce?"

Okay that does it. Let me at 'em. Or that's what I was thinking at the time. But it's not like I could actually go and rip his head off like I was planning to do in my head.

So what I did was I imitated that fake sugary smile that he had been giving me all afternoon all the while trying to get a peek at my practically non existent cleavage and I replied, "Mr. Jagielski, as I mentioned on the phone, my personal life as well as that of my client's is something not to be discussed. Now if you have anymore questions regarding the case, I'd be happy to answer them. If not, then I must be going because I frankly have better things to do than to disclose personal details which serve no purpose other than to make your story more gossip worthy.

And with that, I promptly shook his hand and left the building, as fast as I could. How could people love so much attention? Being in that room was just suffocating. How people like Nathan could endure that kind of torture day in and day out, I would never understand.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I'm going on vacation very soon and I want to finish posting the story before I go. So from now I'm going to start posting chapters every one to two days. Okay so here's the next chapter. Don't forget to read and review!  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, Peyton and Lucas would never have gotten together, much less get married.

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***

This was bad. This was very very bad. Of all the justices in the state of Washington why in the world did it have to be Justice Brian Durham? Not only did he have to be one of the strictest judges ever, he had to have a thing against celebrities. Selling Nathan's case to a guy like him would be an absolute nightmare. As if that was not enough why oh why did Rachel Gatina have to be assigned as the head prosecutor?

It felt like my world was falling apart. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to call Rachel my arch nemesis of sorts. We went to the same college, attended almost all of the same classes and were constantly competing against each other. Whether it was to get the right internships or the right guys, Rachel was a gigantic pain in my behind. I would love to say that she's a sucky lawyer but that would be a lie. As much as I hate to admit it, the girl is damn good at her job. And knowing Rachel, being the manipulative bitch that she is, she'll find a way to sweet talk the jury into her favour. I suppose it's a good thing that the judge is such a hardass, I can only hope that he'll make sure that Nathan gets a fair trial.

***

NATHAN'S POV

It's hard. Seeing Haley every day, dealing with the media, finding out that your so-called friends aren't really your friends. As the days passed, things just seemed to get worse and worse.

I've always been on top of things. Never strayed from my destination. Everything is always a calculated measure. I didn't used to be this way. Back in high school, I'd been a lot more spontaneous, perhaps an act of rebellion or perhaps due to ignorance. Back then there were no consequences, I could mess up and Dan would fix things. Now however, things were different. For days I've been absentminded, forgetting simple things, spending days just lounging around with no purpose. And all of this for what? For Dan? For days I've been cooped up in this little cage, and to no avail trying to figure out just where things went wrong.

"Earth to Nathan, you there?" said Lucas as he waved his hand in front of my face.

"What? When'd you get here?"

"Just now, what's up?" he asked and as he got comfortable beside me on the couch.

"Nothing", Lucas was my brother and everything but it was still hard for me to be completely open to him.

We used to be the biggest enemies, partly because I hated the fact that I was constantly compared to the guy, and partly because Dan told me to be that way. After Haley came along, things started to change and we began to get closer. He was there for me when Haley left and since then he's always been there for me. The poor guy is always caught in middle, Haley's his best friend and I'm his brother, who should he side with?

"How'd it go with Haley? Considering that she didn't bite my head off when I came to pick her up, I'm hoping it went well."

I didn't want to talk about Haley, not now, not ever. There's some sort of unwritten rule that says that guys aren't supposed to share their feelings. But the fact is, Haley broke my heart. Every great hero has one tragic flaw, something that prevents them from reaching their peak. Mine is forgiveness. It's been years and I still can't get over what Haley did to me. Sometimes late at night when I finally have sometime to think, I think of what life would have been like if I'd been able to get past Haley's betrayal. Would I have been a better person? Would I have been happier? Would I finally attain that sense of completeness that I've always longed for?

"It was fine, she asked me a bunch of questions regarding the case and then she left"

"So no arguments? You were actually civil to each other? Good job Nate!" teased Lucas.

"You think it's a joke? Do you have any idea how hard it is to see her again?" I snapped.

"No of course not. It's just that in all these seven years, you've never talked about her. It's like you've completely erased her from your life. What happened to you guys? As far as I can remember you were willing to wait for her. You wanted to work things out. What changed your mind?"

Lucas didn't know about Haley and Chris. I guess Haley never spoke of it either. She was so busy trying to make herself look like the victim that she never bothered to tell the truth of what happened, not even to her best-friend.

"Haley cheated on me, that's what happened."

It felt like a huge burden had been lifted off of me. I've been battling with this for so long; it felt good to know that someone else now knew that truth.

"What? With whom?" questioned Lucas, shocked by this new information.

"I found out about Dan sending those annulment papers so I went to visit. To tell her that that wasn't what I wanted and that I was willing to wait for as long as it takes. Their Atlanta show had just finished. I waited for her after the show but she must have left in a hurry. So I went back to her hotel room thinking that she was tired and probably went to bed early."

Reliving those moments, it was so hard. I couldn't look at Lucas. He loved her like a sister; I didn't want to see his reaction. When I told Dan, he just laughed saying that I was better off without her. My mom's reaction wasn't much better. She had this enormous smile on her face, and I could immediately picture the wheels turning in her head. From that day on, she's taken every opportunity she's had to set me up with girls that seem to fit her standards.

Lucas ushered me to continue.

"Right so I go into the room, by now it's late in the night. I'd spent a good hour and a half trying to figure out what hotel she was staying in. So anyway, I go in and find Chris Keller, on top of her. He was shirtless and as far as I can tell, Haley was too."

"Nathan you always knew that Keller was really forward, couldn't it be some sort of a misunderstanding?"

God Lucas, always the loyal friend. Now I remembered why I never discussed this with him. He'd never understand my side of the story.

"Trust me Luke, there was no misunderstanding. He was kissing her and she seemed to be enjoying it. And you know what bothered me the most? The fact that she didn't even bother to take her wedding ring off while doing it. Do you have any idea how hard I had to work in order to pay for that thing?"

"So what happened?"

"I left, that's what happened."

"And the car crash?"

"I wasn't thinking straight. It was just after I caught her cheating, I was just so hurt. I kept replaying that image over and over in my head, I guess I just lost track of my surroundings."

I'd had enough of this, talking about Haley was too painful, I was tired of rehashing this topic time and time again.

"Look, can we not talk about this anymore? I see enough of her already, the less I have to think of her, the better".

"No problem man. Just know if you ever want to talk, I'm here okay?"

"Thanks"

***

DAN SCOTT MURDER TIMELINE

December 15th

Dan Scott sends invitations to Deb, Keith, Karen, Nathan, Lucas, and me requesting their attendance at his Washington penthouse on Christmas Day.

December 20th

All attending guests RSVP's are received save for Nathan

7PM: The Christmas party begins, guests begin to arrive

~ 8PM: Karen and Keith arrive

~ 8:30 PM: Deb arrives

~10-10:30 PM: Nathan arrives with Peyton Sawyer in tow.

Guests notice arguments between Keith and Dan but it subsides shortly after Nathan's arrival

~12 AM: Guests begin to leave but Keith, Nathan, Karen, and Deb stay.

25th December

1 AM: The Dan Scott's supposed time of death according to the coroner's report

1:21 AM: Keith receives a speeding ticket. (Note: He arrives at the party with Karen but returns home alone)

1:34 AM: A call is made to the Washington Fire Department station 23 saying that the smoke has been detected in the upper levels of the Lincoln apartments.

1:40 AM: Dan Scott's office is in flames, it takes approximately 40 minutes, to take out his body and to put out the flames.

7 AM: Keith, Deb, Karen, and number of other guests are questioned by the police. (Nathan is nowhere to be found)

9 AM: In spite of police efforts to keep the incident hush hush, the news is leaked to the media and every big newspaper across the city and country prints headlines regarding the case.

11 AM: Nathan Scott is found drunk and unconscious at his Anacostia river beach house

***

Washington D.C

HALEY'S POV

Getting a hold of Nathan's girlfriend and my former friend Peyton Sawyer was a very difficult task indeed. She was a famous model now, spokeswoman for the likes of Chanel, Prada, Versache. Ms. Sawyer had certainly done well for herself hadn't she?

Its funny how things have a way turning out differently from anything you'd ever imagined. If you'd asked 10 years ago, almost everyone in Tree Hill would have said Peyton would turn out to be the next big thing, a famous artists, living life day to day, one day in France, the next in the slums of Nairobi. But now it was almost impossible to recognise her.

Forget the curly hair, heavy eyeliner, concert tees. The woman that showed up in my office out of the blue one day was anything but the rebel that I'd gotten to know during my last couple of years at Tree Hill High.

Dressed from head to toe in designer clothing and jewellery worth at least $70, 000 it was no wonder that every man and woman at Simon & Associates, the law firm I work for, was openly gawking at her. She really was stunning. Her hair was still curly only they were glossed and smoothed so as to accentuate her already staggering looks.

In spite her drastic makeover, you could tell that she was still the same Peyton. She arrived in the office listening to her ipod not caring what anyone thought of her and if you looked closely you could tell that she was wearing a necklace with a skull shaped locket on it.

"Haley?"

"Peyton, hi! It's good to see you again."

We did the whole hugging and fake cheek kissing ritual that was so common in the celebrity world.

It was nowhere near as awkward I'd initially thought it would be. The last time I'd seen Peyton was on the day I left Tree Hill. From what Lucas had told me, I gathered that she was going through some personal stuff and wasn't exactly in the best of moods. But still, I thought saying goodbye was the right thing to do.

_Peyton never locked her door, a burglar could walk in and steal everything in the house and she wouldn't notice, her ears were practically glued to her headphones. When I went to open the door, for the first time since I'd gotten know her, I found that it was locked._

_ At the sight of little 'ol me her frown seemed to get wider._

_ "What are you doing here?" she asked, clearly wishing for me to go away._

_ "I…I just thought we could talk"._

_ She looked past me at my overpriced piece of junk that was a meant to be car and she smiled. _

_ "So you're leaving?"_

_ "Yeah, I just came to say good bye."_

_ "You should never have come back in the first place."_

_ "God what the hell is wrong with everybody? It's like everyone in this town has made it their mission to make my life miserable. What did I ever do you Pey?"_

_ Could you blame me? I was just so sick and tired of the dirty looks. I didn't end the marriage, he did._

_ "Nothing, but you did to Nathan. You weren't there, you didn't see how broken he was. He almost lost his life over you and you still didn't come"_

_ "He asked me not to. Look, I'm done explaining myself"_

_ "Great I'm done talking to you. Have a safe trip Haley. Oh wait, on second thought I could care less. Goodbye"_

_ And boom, yet another door shut in my face. This quaint gesture was becoming a recurring event over the past couple of days._

"So, Nathan tells me you're handling his case."

No … duh. You'd have to be living under a rock to not know that.

"Yes, yes I am."

I wasn't interested in engaging in small talk. I hadn't had my morning coffee yet and I was downright jittery. The fact that seeing her reminded me of all the awful things I had to endure back in Tree Hill some 7-8 years ago wasn't exactly helping the situation.

"Look I don't want things to be awkward. What happened was a long time ago. We're all very different people now, I'd like to make a fresh start, if that's okay with you", Peyton finally let out.

"I don't think I can ever forget what happened back then. Everyone I cared for abandoned me and to this day my decision to go on tour; I haven't been able to live it down. Please come sit, I have a meeting in about a half our so if you don't mind I'd like to get right to it."

"Sure", she replied, settling herself in the chair in front of me.

"Where were you on Christmas Eve?"

"At Dan's party of course. Nathan and I, we'd made a short visit to Tim's party. You remember Tim right?"

"Yeah", I ushered her to go on.

"Right so around 10ish, we got around to Dan's little suck fest."

"Did you talk to him, Dan I mean?"

"Yeah, you know, just the whole _hi how are you doing, Merry Christmas _type of thing."

"While there did you notice anything odd?"

"No not really, when you've been to one of Dan's parties you've been to them all. There's always expensive food, influential people, an argument between Dan and either Keith or Deb, it's been that way since forever."

She had a ring on her finger, an engagement ring. Exquisite gems surrounding a gigantic diamond, the ring was a work of art in itself.

So Nathan was engaged, it figures that he wouldn't bother to let me know. She must have caught me looking at the ring.

"He proposed, yesterday. Isn't it beautiful?"

Her face was glowing. That happy glow, the one you got once before you got married and then again when you're pregnant. I'd moved on from Nathan. Every time I saw him, he did nothing but infuriate me. So why was my stomach in knots? I've always known that this day would come, that one day he'd fall in love and marry someone else but all the preparation in the world couldn't have prepared me for this.

"Congratulations", I finally spit out, trying my best to mask the surprise and hurt that I was currently experiencing.

I must not have been doing a very good job at hiding my feelings considering that her expressions changed almost instantly.

"Thank you", she replied softly.

"Okay, so when did you leave the Scott penthouse?"

"Oh 12ish I think."

"So Nathan left with you?"

"Yes"

"Where did you go?"

"I dropped him off at his house and then went home. I had an early shoot the next morning so I wanted to go home early."

'So you dropped him off at the beach house?"

"Yes, he said he needed to get away for a couple of days"

In the years of service to the law, if there is one thing that I've learned it's to tell when someone is lying. There's always something that gives them away, twirling your hair, pulling on your ear, not being able to look someone in the eye, there's always some distinguishable trait.

Peyton's were her hands, she kept smoothing out her skirt, it couldn't be any smoother if you tried. So the question was why would she lie? Where had she really dropped him off?

Whether it was the knowledge of Nathan's upcoming wedding or the fact that Nathan's alibi was torn to shreds, my mind just wasn't able to process anything.

"That'll be it for now. Thanks Peyton."

"No problem. If you need to know anything else, feel free to call me", she replied with a smile, as she handed me a small piece of paper with her telephone number.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Once more thanks for the reviews. I notice the number of reviews are diminishing from chapter to chapter. Are you guys just not interested anymore? I really hope not. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter.  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters. If I did, Peyton and Lucas would never have gotten together, much less get married.

* * *

The moment Peyton left, I practically ran out of the office. I couldn't breathe. I hurried to my car, furiously searching for my keys. I couldn't stop my hand from shaking. When I'd reached my apartment building, I didn't even realise. I bolted up my apartment stairs, not caring what the watchman or anyone else in the building thought of me. Tears streaming from my eyes and throat parched, I didn't stop until I reached the toilet where I puked intermittently for over twenty minutes. I finally settled myself on the bathroom floor, utterly exhausted. Normally I was a neat freak, I wouldn't be caught dead sitting amongst the germs that no doubt tainted my otherwise spotless marble flooring, but I didn't care. The case, the marriage, it was all taking a toll on me. I didn't expect for Nathan to have such a profound effect on me even after all these years. My throat was burning, my lips chapped, eyes red rimmed and puffy. After I left Tree Hill, I promised myself that I would never be that girl who cries because of a boy. But here I was, doing exactly what I said I wouldn't do. I felt like such a fool.

Pushing myself up with the help of the bathroom sink, I found myself staring at the mirror. My hair had grown to about three or four inches below my shoulders. I would have gotten it cut except that I couldn't take out time out of my busy schedule to call for an appointment. Sure it was blond, just like Peyton's but it didn't glisten under the morning sun like hers. My mom used to say that I'd gotten my grandmother's features, that my eyes were like the windows to my soul. All I saw in them was regret and years of denying myself of the things I really want.

I walked into the living room and picked up my cell. I immediately regretted calling, the moment I heard Brooke's voice on the other end.

"Hello"

She was laughing, probably on a shoot somewhere, she didn't know yet but Luke was going to propose to her any day now. He'd asked me to help him pick a ring the week before. This was probably one of the best periods of her life; I had no right to unload my problems on her. So what I did was I hung up on her.

I should have known that she'd call back.

Brooke was one of a kind, she would drop everything and come over to console me whenever I needed it. That kind of fierce loyalty is very difficult to come by. I was thankful to have her on my side.

"Haley bear what's wrong?" she asked softly.

I tried to get myself together, I didn't want her to worry.

"Nothing Brooke, I've just had a rough day. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure? 'Cause I can get Laura to pack up early."

"No that's not necessary, thanks anyways"

"I'll be over in twenty minutes, sit tight" she said, immediately hanging up, not giving me a chance to stop her.

20 minutes on the dot and the doorbell rang, signalling Brooke's arrival. The first thing she did upon opening the door was to give me a big bear hug.

Examining my face, the black tears, the swollen eyelids, she gasped "What happened to you"?

"Nathan's engaged", I let out barely above a whisper.

I expected to see her shocked but she wasn't. Her features just softened.

"What does Lucas know too?" I asked frustrated.

I could tell that she wasn't looking forward to the conversation we were about to have. She fiddled with her shirt sleeve, a nervous habit. She kept averting her eyes, a clear sign that I wouldn't like what she was about to say.

"Yes, Nathan had asked for his advice before taking the leap."

Great, as usual I'm always the last person to know, I thought to myself.

"The wedding is set for April, Peyton wanted a spring wedding", Brooke continued cautiously.

"I don't know why I'm so upset Brooke. I really thought I was over him so why am I feeling this way?"

Brooke took my hand in hers and gave it a tight squeeze.

"He was your first love, its natural for you to feel this way."

I never believed in fairy tales or soul mates. My theory has always been that in this world there are a select few people with whom you are compatible, if you're lucky to find one of them, then your marriage is golden and if you've haven't found one such person than you're bound to go through hardship. Nathan had come as a surprise in my life. We had almost nothing in common and yet somehow we fit, just like pieces of a puzzle. I didn't plan out my future in great detail like some girls did but I had a basic outline of what I expected from life. Up until a couple of hours ago, to some extent Nathan was a part of that plan.

"It's just that in spite of everything I always though we'd end up back together."

"We all did Haley. You guys were perfect together, nothing would make me happier than to see you two back together again. But it's been 7 years Hales, that's a long time. Do you blame him? A man has a right to move on."

I didn't know how to come to terms with this. I've never been good at handling emotions. If it isn't written in a book, I have a tendency to get lost.

"Is he happy?" I finally asked looking directly into her eyes. They were the deepest green, filled with so much life. I envied her. She'd always been the center of attention, so full of life, she could handle anything that life threw her way. Myself on the other hand, I've always been a coward, rather than fighting I let myself wallow in self pity.

I could tell what she was thinking, should she tell me the honest truth or say something that will make me feel better?

"Just tell me the truth, I can handle it", I finally let out.

"He's happy. Peyton loves him more than life itself."

"Good. He deserves to be happy".

For the first time since a long time I was being honest with myself. I always told myself that our marriage disintegrated because of my decision to go on tour but the truth is it was more than that. It didn't last because I was never mature enough to understand the sanctity of marriage. It meant more to Nathan than it did to me. He'd lived in broken family for as long as he could remember, this was his chance to start over. The problem was that I never really understood all of this at the time. It wasn't the tour, it was the fact that I had cheated on him. That was the fact that he couldn't get past. His rough behaviour toward me had been a sort of defensive mechanism, where as I took it as an act of selfishness. Deb had cheated on Dan, and the existence of Lucas, not to mention the pressures of basketball, when he needed someone to be there for him, I wasn't there.

"Everyone was right; it's my fault that our marriage didn't work out"

"Oh sweetie, don't say that" consoled Brooke as she pulled me into a hug.

I know she means well but I could see it in her eyes, the confusion, the guilt. She so desperately wanted to convince me that I wasn't at fault but in her heart she knew otherwise. For the first time I was realising what a selfish person I was, _am._ Somewhere along the way, I became self-centred I always put myself first, _my_ grades, _my_ music, _my_ career, I never really considered how what I was doing would affect others around me.

"Please don't lie. I didn't realise what I had until it was gone. For years on end, I fooled myself into believing that it's because of Nathan's selfishness that our marriage didn't last. The truth is I'm the selfish one, I mean what kind of a person do I have to be to make my best friend choose between me and his brother? For years I made you guys choose between me and him. Nathan has every right to hate me, I was just too stupid to understand it until now."

"To some extent you're both responsible for what happened. I'm glad you finally see Nathan's side. But don't beat yourself about it, you'd never intentionally hurt Nathan. Maybe you guys can finally get some closure", said Brooke with sad smile.

"Closure", I repeated.

I was 25 years old, decent looking, established and so much more and yet I was still living in the past. It was time to move on and that's exactly what I set about to do. I was going to solve this case, come what may. I was going to attain closure with Nathan. And I was going to wish him the best of luck with his fiancé. I refused to be the girl who cried at night wondering what could have been and if I was ever going to become the person that I always envisioned myself as. I was determined to get a fresh start.

***

New York City

"Come in"

"Hey Mouth, how've you been?"

"Haley, it took me ages to get rid of that nickname, why must you remind me?" joked Mouth, showing his million dollar smile.

"Sorry Mouth, I mean Marvin, old habits I guess"

It was a small room, even for New York. Pretty standard, everything you'd expect to see in a psychologist's office: Certificates of academic excellence on the walls, files scattered on the desk, an inviting couch to sit on, etc. The only thing that seemed to set the room apart from those of the hundreds of other psychologist clinics in town was this floor-to-ceiling sized signed poster of Lucas and Nathan standing side by side, from the likes of it, footage from last year's NBA playoffs.

"No problem. So what's up?" he asked, ushering me to lay down on the couch.

"I blanked out again", I confessed.

"Really? I thought they stopped. It's been years hasn't it?"

"Yeah. I don't know what's causing them again."

"When did you last have them?"

"I…I don't know"

He sat beside me, took my hands in his own and looked me straight in the eye. Next to Nathan and Lucas, Mouth had the bluest eyes you'd ever see. Like Lucas, Mouth's eyes offered comfort unlike that of Nathan's which could make you feel either extremely loved our downright dirty based on his mood.

"Come on Haley, try to remember."

"I can't. All of last month is blank. There are things I remember like going out with Luke to buy Brooke's Christmas present or the details of the Wilkinson case but then there are other things that I can't distinguish".

"Like what?"

"A wedding. I was at some wedding where I was the bride's maid and I was wearing this hideous midnight blue wedding gown. The bride and groom, try as I might for the life of me I can't remember who they are. Just glimpses, kind of like these, some of them are real while other's are just a figment of my imagination. I've got so much on my plate nowadays, that I try not to think about these things but I can't help but wonder. It's like my whole life is this big mystery, I just don't know what to make of it all."

"The wedding really happened Hales", he said after a moment's thought.

"It did?"

"Yeah, my cousin was getting married and we went together, as friends of course"

"Really? So how did I end up becoming a bride's maid?"

"One of the bride's maids' flight got cancelled due to bad weather and since Shelly didn't know anyone else in this town, she asked you to fill in.", he supplied.

"Okay that makes sense I guess. But what about Christmas? I've been going around asking everyone related to Nathan's case their whereabouts on Christmas Eve, when I myself can't remember where I was. I've been meaning to ask someone but I just haven't gotten the chance to get in touch with anyone. Nathan's case has been really stressful".

A recurring event, but every time I talked about Nathan to someone close to him or me, there's always a drastic change in person's demeanour and Mouth was no exception. Up until mere seconds ago he'd been so warm and understanding, and the moment I brought up the case, he began to grow distant.

He moved back to his desk and busied himself with some papers. He wore the same expression that everyone else had when I questioned them, if I didn't know any better, I'd almost think that they were all afraid of something.

Not willing to give up on this topic, I walked over and plopped myself on his desk.

"Are you even listening to me?" I asked exasperated.

"Yeah, of course I am. Christmas eve" he sighed

"You were with us, Brooke, Lucas, Skills, and me. Everyone who's anyone was going to Dan's party, so we decided to have our own little shin dig if you can call it that." he replied, now back to normal.

"Oh I see"

I didn't want to let suspicion get the best of me but I was beginning to feel like Dan's murder wasn't something done in the heat of the moment. I had yet to visit the apartment or what's left of it but I had this nagging feeling that there was more to the case than what meets the eye. It was almost as if everyone around me was part of this big cover up and somehow Nathan seemed to be at the centre of it all. Something just didn't make sense and I was determined to figure out why.

"Tell me Haley, is it possible that these lapses have a connection to your parents' death anniversary. If memory serves right, wasn't it around this time that the accident happened?"

He was right. Memories of that day are hazy at best. From what everyone said, I'd been in the car when it happened. It was late at night, we were coming home from Karen's and out of the blue oncoming car approached, my dad swerved, and the car ended up crashing into wooded area just a couple miles away from the Tree Hill docks. My parents were found dead on the spot, how I survived is still a mystery. I don't remember anything from that day or the days after. After weeks of treatment, I came to live with Karen and Lucas, the closest thing I had to a family.

The doctors said it would get better. That it was just a common symptom for trauma, it was natural for me to not remember the horrific incident. But is it normal for me to continue to have these lapses years after? That's a question that has yet to be answered.

"You're right. December 18th, that's about the time that these events started reoccurring. I have this feeling at the pit of my stomach that something is really wrong. We never did find out what happened. Both parties involved in the crash were well below the alcohol limit, no one was speeding, what could possibly have caused this to happen?"

"Is it possible that you uncovered some new information that could have triggered these lapses?"

"I … I don't know"

***

It was time to do some investigation. You know the usual, check the victim's whereabouts in the days before the incident; verify the suspect's alibis, etc. I know my job is to find proof of Nathan's innocence but seeing how this case was so close to me, I just had to find the real killer. I mean what better way to prove Nathan's innocence right? Dan and I were never on good terms, even before Nathan and I started dating, but I just felt like it was my duty to get to the bottom of it.

"Luke, you busy?", I asked, juggling the phone and driving simultaneously.

"Just training for the next game, why?"

Did I mention that Lucas was also a basketball superstar? Two time MVP New York Nicks starter Lucas Scott was the hero of every young boy, not to mention their fathers as well. I'd always known that Luke would end up doing something great one day but what I most admire about him is the fact that he never let the glitz and glamour get to his head, unlike Nathan of course who seemed to practically live for it. Luke was still Luke, the boy I'd grown up with, the one I could talk to about almost anything in the world.

"I just thought we could hang out for sometime".

"Sure no prob, how 'bout I come pick you up? Say around 6? Dinner and a movie?"

"That would be great, I'm staying at the Waldorf=Astoria, room 3225"

"Wow! Nathan must be paying you a lot", chuckled Lucas

"Hey, if I'm going to have to put up with his snide remarks on a daily basis, I'm going to have to get something out of it", I retorted.

***

"Dude you have to be kidding me Spiderman kicks ass how can you even compare him to Superman" "? I asked repulsed by the thought of it even.

"Oh please Hales, Superman is invincible what's spidey going to do? Make his cape sticky? Superman could tear him to shreds in a matter of seconds".

"Oh please …"

We'd just watched the latest superman movie, apparently the last one with Brandon Routh at least. It was an ongoing battle of ours since childhood. In my opinion, Peter Parker beats Kent any day maybe not with his powers but with his charms for sure.

"Hey Luke can I ask you a question?"

"Sure what?"

"Were you invited to Dan's Christmas party?"

"Way to kill the mood Hales", clearly annoyed. First the Spiderman thing now Dan, sore topics one after another.

"Sorry, it's just that something feels a little off. He's been his absolute worst for years, what would make a guy like him change his mind?"

"I don't know. Maybe the guilt finally caught up with him", he replied thoughtfully. "When I got that letter, I thought it was a joke. Second chance? A guy like him, after what he did to me? My mom? You? What right does he have to ask for forgiveness?"

"Nathan went, so did your mom, why didn't you go?"

"To be honest, I thought about it. I was about to get ready, when you called and I got to my senses."

When I didn't respond, he looked at me questioningly.

"You don't remember do you?"

How could a person read me so well? He just knew everything without me having to say a word. Brooke was lucky to have someone like this in her life.

"Remember what?", I asked hoping to god he wouldn't notice the beads of sweat that had formed at the mention of my frequent blackouts.

"Christmas Eve Haley, you were distracted throughout the evening, we all saw it but didn't say anything".

"Was Nathan there?" I know I was changing the topic out of the blue but I had to focus on one thing at a time. There were things that didn't make sense in my life, important things, but now was not the time to venture into the unknown. I had yet to put together a credible case when it comes to Nathan's trial, and time was running out.

Sensing my discomfort, he went along with it:" No, he wasn't. You said it yourself, he was at Dan's party"

"So he didn't call you at any point?"

"No"

He was lying, and this time I didn't even have to rely on intuition. I'd checked Nathan's phone records; there had been an outgoing call to Lucas's home number sometime around 2 in the morning. Lucas was the most honest person I know, what could compel him to do this?

"God what is up with you?" I asked frustrated, not meaning for it to come out aloud.

"What do you mean?", he asked, so innocently that if it hadn't been for the records, I would have a hard time believing that my best friend was indeed lying.

I decided to call him on his bullshit: "You're lying Luke. There were two calls between 2 and 3 AM from Nathan's cell to your home phone. God! Why is everyone making this so difficult for me. I'm not stupid you know. For years on end, I've seen the stares, the looks of disapproval, and guilt when it came to my marriage. At first it bothered me a lot, but you know what? I never let it get the best of me. But now that I'm actually trying to do something about it, mend ties, not to mention save him from being charged with first degree murder, you're all still against me. Do you really think lying for him will save him? If I can tell your crap don't you think the prosecution will too? They'll tear him to shreds, his alibi won't hold up and if you guys aren't careful, you might even get held as an accessory to the crime. Now that would be fun right? Rotting in jail, losing your career, not to mention your best friend and girlfriend"?

How we reached the hotel so fast in the midst of New York traffic, I'll never know.

Giving me the same expressionless look that Nathan used to have plastered on when he didn't like the topic we were discussing, he took my hand and lead me toward the elevators: "Don't make a scene, I'll answer all your questions once we get to your room".

The trip up the elevator was eerily quiet. Lucas rested his head against the wall and stared intently through the glass window. You could see the entire city from up there, it was breathtaking really. But somehow I had a feeling that the New York City skyline was the last thing on Lucas's mind. If it weren't for that random guy standing between us, I'd have pushed him for more info.

After what seemed like forever, the faint ping of the elevator signalled our arrival into the appropriate floor.

I walked past the stunning décor, and celebrity guests without a blink of an eye and Lucas silently followed. Briefly glancing in his direction, I could tell that Lucas was battling with himself.

I wanted to tell him that it was okay. That he could tell me the truth and I wouldn't think any less of him but I couldn't utter a single word. Aside from the days shortly after leaving Tree Hill, Lucas and I seldom got into fights. So this awkwardness when it comes to him was practically foreign to me.

Opening the door to my mini suite, I felt Lucas breeze past me and settle himself on the couch once again facing his attention on the window. When I'd taken the case, I'd done so as way of making amends though I hadn't realised it at the time, but now I realise that there's more to it than just that. Bit by bit, it was tearing apart my family, which primarily consists of my closest friends such as Lucas.

I sat beside him, turned his face around and forced him to look at me. This case was affecting me a lot. I just really needed my best friend now. Without even thinking, I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him as tightly as I could.

I never cried, _never_. And yet I'd broken down twice, this week alone.

"Shh … Haley don't cry, it'll be okay" soothed Lucas.

I was trying really hard to stop but the tears just kept coming. I was the rock that people held onto for support, when did I become the porcelain doll that required constant nurturing?

"Just tell me Luke … did Nathan do it?" I asked point blank. I was through beating around the bush.

Taking my hand in his and using the other to wipe away a lone tear that had escaped, he said barely above a whisper, what would haunt me for nights after, "I don't know".

"But the phone calls?"

"In the middle of the night I got this phone call from Nathan. You know how I deeply I sleep right? So the call went to the answering machine. I can show it to you if you like."

Finally we were getting somewhere. I just wasn't sure whether what I was going to find out was going to strengthen or weaken my case.

"Show it to me"

He took out his phone, dialled the number and handed it to me.

At first I couldn't hear anything; reception must have been low from where Nathan had called.

"Lucas? Lucas you there?" Nathan asked frantically.

I'd have to let my experts look at it to be sure but from the likes of it, Nathan must have been close to the fire when he'd made the call. There were loud noises, sirens of an ambulance, or fire truck perhaps.

"Lucas it's me Nathan. Something's happened call me back as soon as possible. Bye", continued Nathan. There were other voices in the message, familiar ones but I couldn't quite decipher who they belonged to.

Lucas looked at me expectantly, as if I could magically find answers to the questions he no doubt had.

"Did you ask him about this?" I asked, trying to read his every move.

"No. This is my private cell phone line, No one except mom, Keith, Nathan, Brooke and you know about it. You remember how I lost my phone in Tree Hill?"

"Yeah, I remember. I had to wait hours on end to reach you on your work phone; your line was always busy."

"Right. So I didn't get back this phone back until yesterday. Mom mailed it to me."

"And in this time, Nathan never mentioned the call?"

"Not a word. What do you think of it?" he asked.

I really didn't have much of an answer for him.

"I don't know. All I know is that this information better not find its way into Rachel Gatina's hands."

***

I had to do some investigation of my own. The police report gave much insight but it wasn't enough. By going there, I was hoping to find something that the police might have overlooked, some sign that all that happened wasn't Nathan's fault.

I was just going to go home for quick change of shoes (high heels and snooping don't mesh well). What I found would knock the wind right out of me.

Like any other day, I was coming home late at night, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Seeing as how it was past 11 at night, the corridor lights were dimmed and everything was quiet. The first thing I noticed upon reaching my apartment was the flashes of blue light peeking out from beneath the front door. Being a staunch believer in energy conservation, the possibility of my having left a light on before going out is almost an impossibility. I fished into my purse for the keys, finding it, I began twisting the lock praying to god that the rather noisy clicking sound wouldn't alert the intruder of my presence. I walked into the corridor, carefully closing the door, and tiptoed into the living room.

I walked in and got the surprise of my life. There sitting on my couch, eating _my_ popcorn was none other than Nathan Scott himself. For days on end I'd been trying to get a hold of him but his phone always goes to bloody voice mail. And right now he was here, in my apartment acting as if he practically lived here. The nerve!

If he'd noticed my entrance, he sure didn't seem to let it show. He just sat there, feet on the glass table, greasy hands on my cushion, staring at the television, deeply engrossed in what looked to be the latest basketball game, the game that _I_ had tickets to and had to give up because I was too busy building Nathan's case.

"How the hell did you get in here?" I asked furious, resting my hands on either side of my hips.

For a second he looked at me like I was crazy. Then it finally dawned on him as to who I was.

"Hey" he replied and then turned back to the game.

Who did he think he was barging in like this?

I dropped my keys on the table, grabbed the remote and turned the damn thing off.

"Hey I was watching that", he protested.

"Yeah, too bad. In case you haven't noticed, this is _my_ apartment and what I say goes around here"

"Fine, be that way", he said slightly amused, getting up from the couch and moseying his way into the kitchen probably to get himself more food, which incidentally _I_ had paid for.

Today was not the day to get on my nerves. I wasn't about to put up with this nonsense, not from Nathan at least.

I breezed past him and blocked the entrance to kitchen. I was through letting him push me around.

"No can do buddy, you're through eating my food"

I grabbed his arm and led him back to the couch. I had to show him that I was in control, even though the fact was that it was far from the truth.

His cologne was intoxicating and his messy hair was extremely distracting. He was still the most handsome man I'd come across in my lifetime. All kinds of thoughts, things that I shouldn't be thinking about were coming to mind. He belonged to someone else now, I kept telling myself but my heart refused to believe it.

"How'd you get in here?" I asked once more.

Finishing off the last of my popcorn, and evidently having thoroughly enjoyed it, he replied: "The safety keys behind the fire extinguisher. That's where you used to keep our apartment key didn't you?"

Damn myself and my tendency of being so incredibly predictable.

"I heard about Lucas", he continued more seriously.

Perhaps there was some good that would come about from this untimely encounter.

I settled myself on the couch beside him, making sure to keep just enough distance. He seemed to notice my discomfort but did nothing to ease the situation.

"Were you ever going to tell me that you were there when the fire was started?" I asked.

"That's because I wasn't"

"Nathan, I'm done playing games. Just tell me what happened."

He picked up one of the photos from the side table and looked at it with great interest. It was a photo from our high school graduation. Lucas and I stood side by side grinning from ear to ear, elated by the fact that we no longer had to endure the nightmare that was high school. For the first time since I'd seen the picture, I noticed that Nathan was a part of it too. You had to look carefully but deep amongst the mob of excited teenagers, there he was. He looked lost, almost regretful even. But that didn't really matter now.

"I was the one who made the call to the fire department" he finally said.

As if he could read my mind, he continued "No, I didn't start the fire. Dan and I, we had our problems but I wouldn't go so far as to kill the man. After Peyton dropped me off to the beach house, I realised I'd left my keys back at the party. So I took a cab and made it back to the apartment. When I got there, there was smoke everywhere. I couldn't even get out of the elevator, that's how far the fire had spread. So I did what I had to, I called the fire department and got out of there as fast as I could. I had no idea he was still in there".

"Why were you the first to notice the fire? There are other people living in that building. If the fire had spread as far as you say, wouldn't they have known?"

"No. You know Dan, he liked to have his privacy. His apartment takes up the entire floor and has a private elevator into the building. You can't access the elevator unless you have a special card that authorises you to enter."

"You didn't have the keys to your house and I'm supposed to believe you carried the card to your father's apartment?"

"Normally I wouldn't but the invitation letter, it included a card that would temporarily give you access to the building's top floor. I still had that in my pocket."

I wasn't sure what to think. His story, it was feasible, but there were still far too many holes.

"Why didn't you tell all this to the police?

"Because I got scared. Everyone knew of my strained relationship with Dan. God knows the media manages to print something on it practically every other day. When push comes to shove, I would be the first they'd point their fingers to when it comes to his death."

He looked past me and onto the floor. Where the contents of my purse now lay in plain view. He walked across the room and picked up a tiny envelope that had fallen out.

"You're planning to go back in there aren't you?" he asked.

If it weren't for the jerky side that I'd grown accustomed to in the last few days, I'd almost think that he looked genuinely worried.

"What if I am?" I asked indignantly.

"Then I'm going with you" he replied, picking up his leather jacket.

I was taken aback by his forcefulness. The look on his face, it was almost scary. I'd seen many of his expressions, most of them in fact, but this look of protectiveness, this was a first.

"Nathan this is a criminal investigation. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't take you with me."

I was about to leave when he took hold of my arm. He pulled at it so forcefully that I ended up losing my balance, having to steady myself by pulling on his shirt.

He placed his arm on the small of my back and pulled me forward so much so that his face was a mere inches from mine. His face softened and his eyes filled with emotion. "I'm not letting you go alone", he said softly.

Such a simple sentence, and yet almost deathly. In that instant, he broke down all the lies that I'd fed myself, all the walls that I'd built around me. He pretty much just shattered me. I was falling in love with him all over again and for the life of me I couldn't make it stop.

His touch was cold to my skin and his gaze far too disconcerting. My eyes filled tears but I quickly wiped them away praying to god he hadn't seen them.

I walked out of his arms and out to the entrance, not wanting for him to follow but almost positive that he was.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm glad you all are still enjoying the fic. Here's the next chapter. I think you'll like it, its the perfect blend between romance and mystery  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters, though I certainly wish I could make Nathan Scott mine and mine only.

* * *

The ride to the apartment was peaceful. From time to time, I glanced at Nathan, hoping to find some clues but his face was always unreadable. Eyes glazed over, lips in a lop- sided smile, he seemed to be off in another world. The silence, it wasn't awkward, I'd even go so far as to say it was comforting. There were so many questions I wanted to ask, some about the case, some not but I just couldn't bring myself to do it.

When I pulled up in the parking lot beside the Lincoln apartments, Nathan looked at me and gave a reassuring smile.

People would call me nuts for breaking into a criminal investigation and that too in the middle of the night with none other than the prime suspect but to me it didn't matter. I never was one to go by conventional methods and I wasn't about to start now.

The clock in the lobby said it was around 12:38, just about the time when the party had ended. The man in the reception area didn't seem to recognise either of us.

We waited until the receptionist had turned his attention back to the small television sitting on top of his desk.

"Come on", I whispered, taking his hand in my own and guiding him to the private elevators.

Sliding the card into the gold plated slot, I waited for the machine to give us entry to the elevators. It occurred to me that the elevator couldn't be the only way to access the top floor, if not for safety, for the law at least. A place like this would be shut down if it didn't.

At the sound of the elevator's ping, we stepped into the enclosed box. 28th floor was a long way to go.

I glanced toward Nathan to find him once again lost in his thoughts.

"What are you thinking?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"Hunh? Oh nothing. I was just thinking about Dan. It's the first time I've been here since …"

We'd spent so much time arguing about the past and the case that we never really talked about the thing that mattered most – the death of his father. Of course, why would he talk to me about it? I was just his lawyer and someone who'd abandoned him years ago, why would he tell me anything?"

"If it's too hard for you, we can go back", I offered.

6 … 7 … 8

Washington D.C is a beautiful city. Looking through the window, it was breathtaking. Tiny cars moving back and forth, city lights twinkling under the midnight sky. Into the distance you could make out the thick columns of the White House.

_"Some day I'm going to be president", I'd declared to my father once upon a time._

_"You can be anything you want sweetie. The world is yours to take. Promise me one thing, you'll never lose hope. No matter what life throws your way, you'll never get discouraged. Take it as a challenge, it can never break you. if anything it'll make you stronger"_

"Haley … Haley, you there?" asked Nathan with curiosity.

When he looked at me, as corny as it sounds, it felt like he could glimpse into my soul.

"What? Oh sorry"

"No problem" he replied slightly amused.

After all the drama that happened in our life, I'd grown to recollect the bad things rather than the good. Long before the tour and all that came with it, there was time when Nathan and I were friends. We were completely head over heels in love. No one understood us; they said that we were too different. But that didn't bother us, we knew that what we had was special, and no one, not Dan, not the people in town, no one could take that away from us.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure", he said looking intently at my tiny frame. It was a cold night, and in spite of the heating, it was still a little chilly. I could feel the heat radiating off him. It would be so easy to step into his arms and just lose myself in his embrace. But alas I couldn't. That special place in his heart belonged to another now.

"Why did you come here?"

He darted his eyes back and forth, avoiding my eyes. Clearly, this was something he'd rather not discuss.

"Because I didn't want you to come here alone", he finally replied.

"I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. Besides, if you'd given me the chance, I could have asked someone else to come with me."

"Maybe I just wanted to spend sometime with you", he said as he stepped out of the elevator, disappearing into the darkness.

"What did he mean by that?" I thought to myself.

It was so like him to say something like that and then just leave. As much as I would like to sit around and analyse that situation, I had more important things to do. Something had caught my attention. I'd been so busy thinking about the past that I'd hadn't noticed the tiny fleck of light being reflected from the elevator wall. On the left corner, just beside the floor numbers, disguised as a screw of some sort, there was a tiny lens. The police wouldn't have seen it, you'd have to know where to look to recognise it but there was no doubt in my mind that whatever happened that night must have been recorded on tape.

After Dan's first heart attack, when Keith had taken over, that's when Lucas found it. The tiny lens disguised as a keyhole in Dan's prized race car painting. He'd hoped to finally bring down the great Dan Scott but his plan backfired, all because of that damn piece of equipment.

Stepping out to make sure Nathan wasn't nearby, I took out a mini screwdriver (don't even ask as to why I'd have this in my purse), I hoisted myself up on the gold plated railing and steadied myself on the thing that lit up the floor numbers.

I wanted to find out where the wires from the camera converged. And to my luck, the damn wires had been burned, probably a result of the fire.

"Haley, where are you?" I heard Nathan ask.

I didn't respond. I strongly believed that Nathan hadn't killed Dan but I had a feeling he was still somehow connected to the whole incident. Bringing him here was a mistake. But it was too late to go back now.

I stepped down from the railing and walked into what was once Dan's entrance area. The smell of ashes and burnt flesh filled the space. I wanted to look for the tapes but at the moment, I was more worried about Nathan. Cursing myself for having brought him here in the first place, I thought I saw a shadow appear and disappear in a split second. There had been a court order preventing the reconstruction of this part of the building so from the likes of it, the apartment was exactly as it should have been from the day of the fire.

"Haley where are you?" I heard him ask once more. Clearly he had no idea of how to act when snooping around in the middle of the night.

Leaving my task at hand, I walked in the direction of Nathan's voice. I found him looking out the window of what once was Dan's living room.

"Nathan pipe down already. What is it?"

"Nothing, I just wanted to know where you were. This place gives me the creeps. Did you find what you were looking for?" he asked shifting from one foot to another.

This sudden burst of protectiveness, I didn't know what to think of it. On one hand, I was happy that his anger toward me had somewhat lessened but on the other, it was kind of unnerving. I liked my independence and didn't appreciate people meddling at my time of work.

"If you're so freaked, why don't you go back and sit in the car?" I said, rather impatiently. Was I being too harsh? Ever since the day I found out about his engagement, I've been sort of snappy. I had no right to treat him the way I was, he didn't deserve this.

Letting out a sigh I continued: "I'm sorry. I'm not used to having people around when I'm at work. I'm almost done. Why don't you got sit in the lobby? I'll be down in a few minutes".

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he glanced back at the window then replied with a faint smile: "That's okay. You take your time. I'll be here".

In the time that I'd spent with him over the last few weeks, preparing for his case, I'd begun to see a different side of him. If this had happened back in junior year, Nathan would have been pissed off and left me to fend for myself. Instead, today he controlled his anger and did the right thing by staying here in spite of his unwillingness to be here. More than anything what I'd gathered from our exchanges was that Nathan had become a matured man. I had a lot of respect for him and though our reunion of sorts had occurred in the worst possible situation, I was glad that it happened. Having Nathan in my life, though not in the way I would ideally want it to be, it seemed to fill that hole in my life. Him just being there, that was enough to make me feel complete.

I'd poured over the blue prints of the apartment so many times that in spite of my having been here for the very first time, I had the place memorised. Walking through the corridor, I tried to picture how it would have looked like prior to the fire. Tall ceilings, rich burgundy coloured walls, gold mouldings and exquisite artwork all around. That's how I imagined it based on the images I'd seen in various magazines. To put it in one word, what I saw in this moment was black. From the floor to the ceiling, the walls, the furniture, everything had had the color stripped right out of them. The stench of burned plastic and wood filled the air. It was making me light headed, I had the strong urged to puke my guts out but where would I do so? There was no sink, no toilet, no garbage bin, everything was gone forever.

Coming out of my reverie, I found myself standing in Dan's study, the place hardest hit by the fire, the place where my ex-father-in-law was poisoned and left to perish. It was kind of ironic if you thought about it. How many times had I or some else who knew him wished that he would just burn in hell? I for one had done this countless times.

The police had searched every inch of this place, but hadn't come any closer to figuring out this mystery. Every shred of evidence, apart from the wine bottle had been wiped out by the fire. No blood, no DNA evidence, nothing.

Everything in this world happens for a reason. Who was this person who so badly wanted him dead and what did he/she gain from this whole ordeal? Could it be revenge from one of the many he'd screwed over? Or was this a property issue? The political angle didn't fit, the public loved him, he knew just the way to convince people what _he_ wanted was also what's best for society. The manipulative bastard could get away with anything. Oh crud, its wrong to speak ill of the dead isn't it? Oh well it's too late now.

For the second time this night, I thought I felt a presence.

"Who's there?" I asked, trying my best to keep the fear out of my voice all the while swinging my flashlight here and there.

Nothing.

Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. "Come on Haley, you've faced the biggest of criminals in your lifetime, you're not going to be afraid of a petty burglar are you?" I asked myself.

I spun around swiftly only to find myself come face to face with bookshelf filled with ashes, bits and pieces of paper, and dozens and dozens of books. Steinbeck, Conrad, Hemingway, Tolstoy, you name it, it was there. It was too bad that they'd all been destroyed so badly that no one would ever be able to read them. It really was a shame, Lucas would have loved it.

Finally gathering enough courage, I stepped into the area outlined by the yellow tape, the place where Dan's body had been found. There was this wooden desk, it sat there, alone and disfigured. If objects could talk, this piece would have asked me _why_? _Why_ did I deserve this fate? Like everything else recently, for this too I had no answer. The glass that once rested on top of the wood had lost its shape, and fused itself with the wooden surface. The desk lay on a slant, contents threatening to spill out. Through an enormous hole, on the left corner you could see a glimpse of the moon. Looking closer, I realised it was a mirror, cracked and covered in ash, only the visible portion spared from the dust. For some reason this intrigued me.

Blindly shoving my hand through the hole, I found myself in contact with something cool to my fingers. Pulling it out, I realised it was a key.

"A key to what?" I wondered.

Securing it in my pant pocket, I began to pull at the drawer, hoping to find more clues. But alas, the lock had fused itself with the metallic structure attached to the side of the drawer.

That's when Nathan came in to the room. From the expression on his face, he looked absolutely disgusted. He'd had enough of this place and I didn't blame him. This was the first time I'd come to this apartment and I was more than ready to get out of here. And to Nathan, this place actually meant something; imagine the thoughts that must be running through his head right about now?

"Ready to leave?" he asked practically begging me to say yes.

"Come on", I replied. I'd gotten about as much information as I could get for this night at least.

We were almost out of the room when I had this urge to turn back and look at the room, one last time. It was as if it was calling me, begging me to put together the pieces. It felt like without doing so, somehow my life would be incomplete. Such strong feelings, such strong emotions, it was beginning to scare me a bit.

Resting his arm on my shoulder, Nathan pulled me out of my gaze and guided me towards the elevator. I looked at him to find him smiling, as if a wave of relief had just washed over him.

I expected him to remove his arm from my shoulder once we entered the elevator but he did no such thing. It was as if he was in his own world, I doubt he even knew I was there. The comforting silence that had existed between us just moments ago was broken by the shrill ring of Nathan's cell phone.

By the time he was done, we'd reached the lobby and our little moment, if you can call it that was gone forever.

"Sebastian, my driver is out in the entrance. Do you want me to walk you back to your car?" he asked out of politeness I suppose.

I know I wasn't supposed to be hurt by this. After all, we were practically strangers now. If it weren't for the case, our paths would never have crossed and this entire evening would never have taken place. So why was I feeling like this? What is the meaning of this disappointment? I hated Nathan didn't I? So why was I unwilling to let this evening end?

"No, that's not necessary. I'll … I'll call you", I finally replied not knowing what else to say.

Taking that as a sign that he was now free to go, he gave a brief nod and went on his way, once again extracting his phone from his right pocket.

The receptionist looked at me questioningly but I paid no attention. I just walked back to my car, drove home, and snuggled under my down comforter, washing away my worries. I didn't need Nathan; he was just another client requiring my services, nothing more.

***

I could feel the heat radiating off of him. There was a sense of desperation in the air. We held on to each other like there was no tomorrow, we couldn't keep our hands off each other. As he proceeded to devour me in ways that most women could only dream of, I found myself drifting into another world. One minute we were in the car, the next we were floating midair. It didn't make any sense and yet it felt more real that anything I'd ever felt before.

"Oh god Haley, I've missed you so much" he whispered in between kisses. As I ran my hands through his soft brown hair, it occurred to me how beautiful he was. Men aren't supposed to be called beautiful; macho, manly, strong are what they'd prefer but I'd beg to differ.

"I've missed you too" I breathed out, pulling him in for a long and sensuous kiss.

Finally breaking the kiss, desperate for air, I ran my fingers over his face. Piercing blue eyes, sharp features, flawless skin, Nathan was what one would call strikingly handsome. It was no wonder that he was the heartthrob of millions.

_"Haley … Haley" someone called from a distance. _

I was too lost in the moment to pay any attention. Pulling him closer, I let my body melt into his, revelling in his scent. His lips were so soft, so inviting, I couldn't possibly get away from him, even if I wanted to.

_"Haley … Haley" someone yelled, the sound getting louder by the minute._

_Then all of a sudden a loud beeping sound filled the air. _

I watched in horror as Nathan proceeded to fade into thin air and a bright white light emerged in his place.

Lifting one arm from under the blanket, I whacked the dark object that had become my current source of distress. It was only when I heard the thud of plastic coming into contact with wood that I opened my eyes and thus became fully aware of the situation around me.

Forcing myself to sit upright, I looked down to find my new alarm clock now shattered to pieces.

"Damn, that's the third one this month", I thought to myself.

"Haley James get your sorry ass up and open this door right this instant", yelled Brooke entirely frustrated and on the verge of breaking down my front door.

Picking up my robe from the floor just beside the pile of clothes that had accumulated over the last few days, I began to move closer to the living room.

7:00 signalled the clock sitting on my kitchen counter space, just beside the pile of dishes from yesterday morning's breakfast.

"When did I become such as slob?" I wondered.

When I unlocked the door, Brooke breezed past me practically knocking me over. "Finally she opens the door, tutor girl what took you so long?" she asked crossing her arms, trying to look angrier than she really was. Trust me, I've put her through much worse situations.

"Brooke its 7 AM on a Saturday morning. Why are you here?" I asked very much irritated.

"Wait who the hell turned on my alarm?" I continued cutting her off, realization finally setting in.

"That would be me" she replied with a mischievous grin.

I was so appalled at the situation that I didn't even bother to express my displeasure with words; I simply let out a groan.

"Oh come on Haley don't be such a spoilt sport. You've been so busy with work that we haven't had one on one girl time in like forever. I thought we could go window shopping for my wedding gown."

"Brooke, Lucas hasn't even asked you to get married. What's the rush?" I asked in the midst of pouring myself some milk and cereal. I hadn't eaten any real food since yesterday's lunch, needless to say, I was starving.

There was a knock on the door. Brooke got to it before I did.

"Hey, how are you?" she asked.

"Brooke who is it?" I yelled, not really paying attention. Food was of utmost concern for me at the moment.

"It's me" replied Nathan stepping into the kitchen looking ravishing as usual.

Why was this happening to me? Is it me or did he look even more stunning than usual? Wearing a pair of jeans and a baby blue polo shirt, Nathan just took my breath away. Life is so cruel sometimes. You learn to move on but then one day, something happens and you're back to square one. All that effort I'd put into forgetting about Nathan and everything associated with him, all of that had gone to waste. I was back to the pining stage. What was it about Nathan that kept me on edge all the time? One minute I could be on cloud nine, feeling like the happiest person on the planet and in the next I could be absolutely miserable, hoping that the ground would swallow me alive.

The sound of shattering glass brought me out of my reverie.

"Here let me help you with that", he said, coming closer.

That was when I noticed the mess I'd made. Shards of broken glass now floated in the small puddle of milk that now covered my otherwise spotless marble flooring.

"Thanks", I replied tearing out a piece of paper towel.

As we began picking up the pieces of glass, for a split second our hands touched. It felt like a jolt of electricity just shot down my spine.

He looked up and our eyes locked for a second. I could feel the world spinning. Why was I feeling like this? Any hopes I ever had of reconciliation had been shattered the day I saw that ring on Peyton's finger. Still, why did my heart flutter every time I saw him?

Oh my god did he just move closer? Is he going to kiss me? Am I reading too much into this?

The sound of Brooke clearing her throat brought us out of our daze. At that, Nathan shot up and quickly walked back to the living room, equally bewildered by the brief "moment" that had taken place just now.

"Umm… Luke told me you guys were going shopping. Since Peyton doesn't really know anyone here, I was hoping you guys could help her buy the things she needs for the wedding" said Nathan, nervously running his hands through his hair.

The _wedding_, that's why he was here, it all made sense now. How stupid was I to think that anything could ever happen between us again.

I looked to Brooke trying to make sure she was okay with this. Once upon a time, Brooke and Peyton had been best friends. They were practically glued at the hips some would say. It all changed senior year when Peyton confessed that she still had feelings for Lucas. Ten years of friendship went down the drain, all because of a _boy_. Lucas had tried for reconciliation but his efforts were futile. Brooke moved to New York to become a fashion designer and Peyton to California to do god knows what. Right now for Nathan's sake, they were trying their best to get along but you could tell that neither of them cared much to mend their ties.

"Sure, we'd love to help" said Brooke, fiddling with her shirt strings.

"Thanks Brooke" replied Nathan, the sarcasm in Brooke's voice having gone unnoticed.

"No problem" returned Brooke, plastering a fake smile.

And then the dreaded awkwardness returned …

It's sad when the person who once meant the world to you becomes a complete stranger, so much so that you forget how to act normally around them even though it's supposed to be the easiest thing in the world.

"I'll show you to the door", I finally let out, thereby putting us both out of our misery.

When Nathan was finally gone, I walked back into the apartment and holed myself up into the confines of my bedroom.

Was I hurt that Nathan had been insensitive enough to ask me to help shop for Peyton's wedding accessories?

_Absolutely._

Was I going to wallow in self pity?

_Certainly not._

No, I wasn't that girl anymore. For years on end, I'd cried and cried over this and now I was done crying. Instead, I was going to put my fury to good use. I was determined to make a major breakthrough on the case today itself.

_If only Brooke would leave …_

Just as I was about to sit down with a pen and paper, I heard Brooke knocking on the door. She was the best friend a girl could ask for but no matter how much she tried, she could never truly understand what I was going through.

"What is it Brooke?" I asked rather impatiently, just itching to get back to work.

Taking me by surprise, she pulled me into a tight hug, a little too tight if you ask me.

"Brooke, get off I can't breathe", I complained, having reached my limit for tolerance.

I didn't mean to be a bitch but seeing Nathan first thing in the morning had put me in a rather foul mood.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Nathan is such a dickhead" she said with a smile.

_And just like that, the anger was gone._

"Thanks for saying that Brooke but you don't mean it. Give me five minutes and then we'll get going"

"Yippee!" exclaimed Brooke jumping up and down like a six year old.

So much for work, I guess it'll have to wait.

We picked up Peyton from her hotel room and were on our way to the mall when a song came on the radio and I couldn't help but laugh. This was our song, the three musketeers as Lucas used to call us.

_And so we talked all night about the rest of our lives  
Where we're gonna be when we turn 25  
I keep thinking times will never change  
Keep on thinking things will always be the same_

I glanced at the rear view mirror to find Peyton with the same look on her face.

_I didn't know much of love  
But it came too soon  
And there was me and you  
And then we got real blue  
Stay at home talking on the telephone  
We would get so excited and we'd get so scared  
Laughing at ourselves thinking life's not fair_

Life isn't fair alright. If it were, our friendship wouldn't have fallen apart as easily as it did.

_Will we think about tomorrow like we think about now?  
Can we survive it out there?  
Can we make it somehow?  
I guess I thought that this would never end  
And suddenly it's like we're women and men  
Will the past be a shadow that will follow us 'round?  
Will these memories fade when I leave this town?_

Peyton or no Peyton, Brooke was never one to be this quiet: "So Peyton, how long are you staying here?"

"You should ask your friend" replied Peyton with a smile, ever the cynic.

Brooke looked at me puzzled awaiting my response.

"She's likely to be called as witness in Nathan's case. So she's required by law to stick around until the DA's office says so"

"So how long will that be? A week? A month? 'Cause you know, I do have better things to do than sit around waiting all day long."

"Oh come on. Think of it as a vacation, you get to spend time with Nathan; the prosecution gets to build its case. Pretty much a win-win situation no?"

Sensing the tension, Brooke tried to interfere but Peyton cut her off:" Hales, you're not jealous are you?"

That bitch! She was going to pay for this.

"That's _Haley_ to you. And besides, what have I got to be jealous about?"

"Oh I don't know, the fact I'm the one marrying Nathan and not you. The realisation of what a big mistake when you made when let him go, it's finally setting in isn't it?"

"Okay that's enough Peyton. Can't we behave civilly for a single afternoon? For Nathan's sake at least?" begged Brooke.

"Fine" replied Peyton grudgingly.

Brooke then looked at me with her no nonsense face: "Fine", I replied, not having much of a choice.

***

"So where should we start?" I asked wanting for this trip to end as quickly as possible.

Shopping has never been my thing. Unlike Peyton and Brooke, I didn't come from a rich family. My dad worked at the local power plant and my mom stayed home to take care of us. Whatever money we had, it went into buying food and paying the bills. Needless to say, after years of saving every penny, mostly to pay for college, spending large amounts of cash was something I tended to avoid.

"I'd like to look for some jewellery", offered Peyton.

"Yeah that sounds fun. Maybe I'll finally be able to find my dream engagement ring", sighed Brooke.

I hadn't the heart to tell her, but Lucas had yet to propose. That's not to say that he isn't going to because he is. He just doesn't want to rush things. As for the ring itself, it's already been bought and is now waiting to be engraved by the skilled hands of the wonderful craftsmen over in Amsterdam.

"So how do you like this one?" pointed Peyton to insanely large piece of blue rock attached to metal that you call a ring.

"Wonderful" I replied disinterested. People were dying of starvation and this woman was buying a $5000 dollar ring.

I followed Brooke and Peyton through a dozen other stores, trying on dresses, lingerie and what not. I was beginning to understand just why men had such a strong dislike toward the idea of shopping.

In the midst of fiddling with the games on my blackberry, I heard the sound of Peyton's laughter. I'd never heard Peyton laugh out loud like this. Given her history with her parents, boyfriends and what not, she'd always been moody and angst-ridden. What had caused this change in personality? Was Nathan behind this source of happiness? Peyton, dislike her as I might, made Nathan happy and vice versa, I just had to accept it.

"Haley, we're going to go look at some makeup. You coming?" asked Brooke expectantly. God she was amazing. She despised Peyton more than anyone and yet here she was, acting as the middle-woman trying to make things run smoothly for the both of us.

"Sure you guys go ahead; I'll be right with you".

Peyton left, wordlessly giving me the impression that it didn't matter to her if we were with her or not. If I hadn't known better, I'd almost think that Nathan had forced her to come with us as some ploy to mend the friendship that we'd ended long ago.

Moving on, something was bothering me. The key that I'd found, for the life of me I couldn't figure out what it was for. Silver in colour, with sharp triangular edges in the bottom, it was highly unconventional in design. It didn't look to be a house key, nor one for cars. It was puzzling at best.

As I walked past a mob of teenagers awaiting the release of the latest playstation console or whatever the latest hype was about, I couldn't help but envy them. So carefree, so hopeful, if only we could all be that way. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I was jaded or a cynic of sorts but the fact is, I went through a lot of hardship in my formative years and as a result I'd been forced grow up much faster than everyone else.

All of a sudden, I felt someone tap my shoulders, startling me so much so that I ended up dropping my purse along with my key.

"Brooke, what the hell?"

"Wow easy there tiger. What's wrong with you? You've been on edge since morning".

She bent down and began picking up the things before I could react.

For the umpteenth time this morning, I found myself apologizing to Brooke. It was like I was there but I had no control over what I was doing or saying. Suddenly all the things that meant the world to me didn't seem to be as important. It felt like my life was like a soap opera where I was the viewer looking in but having no control over what was happening.

"Haley is this mine?" asked Brooke, scrutinizing the mysterious key.

"Umm … no. I found it. Wait a minute … do you know what it's for?"

"Yes of course. This is a key to the locker boxes at the Bank of America. I have one just like it, Lucas gave it to me. In fact, everyone in the Scott family has just one like it. Where did you find this?"

"Bank of America, are you sure?"

"Yeah. See the diamond shape on top? That's their logo."

"Bank account, now why didn't I think of that?" I chastised myself.

"Does this have something to do with Nathan's case?" questioned Brooke nervously.

"You know I can't tell you right?" I replied, reluctantly. I didn't like keeping things from Brooke but I had to. One wrong move and everything could go down the drain.

"Right, I know. I'm sorry."

Linking her arms with mine, Brooke continued: "Let's see what that witch is up to, shall we?"

After spending about five to ten minutes searching for Peyton, we found her at this little boutique trying on dresses.

The one she had on when we found her was absolutely stunning. Strapless and off white in colour, Peyton was beautiful; there was no doubt about it. I'd always felt inadequate for Nathan, he was too good looking, seeing Peyton in this attire made me even more aware of it. Peyton was the kind of girl he was meant to marry; I was just a mistake, one that everyone constantly reminded me of.

"How do I look?" questioned Peyton in the midst of fiddling with her veil. Before I got a chance to answer, I got the call that would give me the break I desperately needed in this case.

"Ms. James, I've located the Senator's bank account"

"Thanks Jenny"

As I proceeded to jot down the details of Dan's account and the mysterious locker, I felt Peyton's presence behind me. Who did she think she was prying into my personal business?

"What do you want", I blurted out, failing to hold back my annoyance.

"I … I'm sorry. Is this a bad time?" questioned Jenny nervously. Making me even more irritated than I already was.

"No, Jenny I wasn't talking to you. Just hold on for a sec would you?"

I spun around swiftly looking Peyton straight in the face "Is there something I can do for you?" putting on a sugary smile hoping she would just go away.

"Uhh … I just wanted to let you know that Brooke and I were going down to the shoe store next door".

I looked past Peyton to Brooke giving me her puppy dog eyes, begging me to let go of my phone and come along with her.

"Fine, go ahead I'll be right with you", I replied in haste practically shooing her off.

"Now Jenny …"

***

"Hi, I'm Haley James. I called you a few minutes ago about Senator Scott's account"

"Yes, yes of course", said the pleasant looking lady as she ushered me into a room behind the reception desk.

Just like everything else of Dan's this too was an elaborate affair. I walked into this room, with tall ceilings, and exquisite paintings all around. It was almost like a museum to be honest. So quiet, so serene, the only sound I could hear was sound of my heels making contact with the marble floor _click clack click clack_. After walking through the narrow halls for like a mile, the woman stopped in front of this large golden door, just like in the movies. She punched in some random keys and the door began to slide open.

"I'll be right here Miss. Just give me a holler if you need anything"

I gave a brief nod and stepped into the room, anxious to see what truths I'd find. Unlike the rest of the building that seemed so warm and inviting, the locker room was cold and deceiving. Every great person in this city and most likely this country had a box in here. Going around the circular room searching for locker 133, I looked to my hands to see them shaking. Was it me or was this room awfully chilly? Finding the mystery box, I pushed the key into the hold, steadying one hand with the other. Upon insertion of the key, the sound of machines coming into motion filled the air. Slowly, the box began sliding out, giving a glimpse of its contents.

There were three things in the container: a file, an envelope, and an expired check to some Matthew Trenton. Trenton … Trenton … why did that name seem so familiar to me? Was he someone from the past that I ceased to remember?

I ran my fingers around the edge of the envelope feeling its rough texture prickle my skin. I looked to the aged envelope, afraid to look inside. I brought the envelope close to my nose and I instantly recognised the scent.

It smelled like _him_.

A mix of aftershave and cigars, it was an unmistakable odour, one I'd come to despise over the years. The scent belonged to Dan Scott through and through. Finally gathering enough courage, I opened the envelope afraid of what its contents would reveal.

It was a photograph.

Just as I was about to pull out the picture, I heard footsteps. As if by instinct, I grabbed the locker's contents and stashed them into my purse.

"Nathan what are you doing here?"

As seemed to be habit of his, shoving his hands into his pocket, he came forward averting his eyes: "Brooke told me you'd be here"

It was as if he didn't want me to get to the truth. Every time I came close to it, Nathan would show up out of nowhere acting as a distraction and leaving me more puzzled than I'd been before.

I turned back to close the box and guided him towards the exit.

"How did the shopping trip go" he asked, as we went down the stairs.

"It was fine. Peyton couldn't decide on the dress though"

"Yeah, I know she can be picky sometimes"

There was that look again. Face blank, eyes glazed, I hate to say it but Nathan was becoming more and more like Dan as the days went by.

I stopped abruptly, forcing Nathan to turn back and look at me for the first time.

"What do you want from me Nathan?" I asked earnestly.

The brief "moment" that we'd had this morning. It couldn't be entirely one sided now could it?

He stepped closer, laying his hand on my right cheek. It was a chilly day. The harsh winter had made my skin numb. Nathan's touch seemed to bring them to life again. I wanted to resist. I so badly did but it was too hard. One look at his crystal blue eyes and I could feel my knees turn to jelly. Try as I might, I was still as much in love with Nathan as the day I'd gotten married to him. One case of misjudgement had pretty much ruined my life. All the fame and the money in the world couldn't make up for the emptiness that I felt without Nathan's presence in my life.

When he leaned in, his minty fresh breath filling up my senses, I couldn't bring myself to get away from him.

"I want you", he whispered, capturing my lips with his, sending me into waves of ecstasy. Laying his hands behind my back, he pulled me closer, resting his hands on my hips. God! I missed this! His touch, his scent, everything about him was just so incredibly irresistible.

After enjoying a few moments of sheer bliss, I came to my senses. I realised that what I was doing was wrong. I didn't want to end up being the _other woman_. I didn't like Peyton, but that didn't give me the right to do this to her. My heart, the irrational part of me was saying that he was mine first, but the rational part, my mind told me it was wrong. I couldn't do this. Not like this.

Tasting his lips one last time, I broke the kiss. He looked at me questioningly, desperate for an answer but I couldn't give him one.

"I'm sorry"

Touching my lips and feeling its warmth, I did the one thing I was good at.

I ran away.

* * *

**Song Credit**: "Graduation" by Vitamin C


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I thank you for all the wonderful reviews you have given me. The next chapter I post will be the last for this fic. I plan on posting it by Saturday before leaving for vacation. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it was probably one of the most difficult parts to write in the entire story. Also, a reminder, writing in italicize refers to flashbacks.  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters, never have and never will.

* * *

By the time I reached the parking lot, I was completely drenched. Somewhere between my realising what a big mistake I was making and my running away from Nathan without looking back, it had started to rain. Heavily, might I add. Sitting in the driver's seat, I let the tears flow. My life was falling to pieces all over again. The days after signing the divorce papers, I had been a mess. Seven years later I found myself in the same position once more. I hated myself for doing this. Why did Nathan have to kiss me? Why didn't I push him away when he did? Why couldn't I resist temptation? I realised I wasn't as strong as I thought myself to be.

Not wanting to go back into the state of depression as I had been in not so long ago, I decided that keeping busy was the best way to go. After all, if it hadn't been for law school and later this law firm, I would never have been able to move on with my life. On second thought, had I really managed to move on? If I did then why hadn't I had a single steady boyfriend since Nathan? Every time I managed to get close to someone, I broke it off saying that with my hectic work schedule I really didn't have time for relationships. Was that really it or was I just running away from my problems?

As I pulled open my purse, hoping to remove any remnant of the events that just passed, my eyes fell upon the documents I'd taken from Dan's deposit box. Reopening the envelope, I took out the photograph that I'd seen earlier. It turned out to be my wedding photo. The years of storage and lack of care had forced the picture quality to deteriorate quite a bit but there was no doubting it, this was indeed our wedding photo. I remember it clearly. We'd gotten married by the beach with Karen and Lucas as witness. With my job at the café and Nathan's at Hot and Twisted, we didn't have enough money to hire a photographer so Lucas had done the honours.

Just when we were least expecting it, Luke snuck up on us and took that picture. Remembering that day, I couldn't help but smile. We looked so happy in photograph. Gazing into each other's eyes, strolling across the beach hand in hand, it turned out to be the best picture either one of us ever had.

I turned the image around to find sequence of numbers carelessly scribbled on it with red ink.

1002304

What could it mean?

Not knowing what to make of it, I moved on to the file.

It all made sense now. I was no doctor but based on the reports, I was more or less certain that Dan's heart condition had gotten worse. He was suffering from _dilated cardiomyopathy_, an effect of HCM that weakens the heart's passages ultimately leading to heart failure.

Long story short, Dan Scott was _dying_.

Knowing Dan Scott he hadn't told a soul about his condition. Maybe the guilt of screwing people over finally got to him, hence the desire for a second chance. The bastard would have gotten what he deserved, an agonizing death. If the killer hadn't gotten to him first, fate sure would have.

A mysterious number, an old check, and Dan's medical report, that was all that was left of Dan Scott. Were these just a pile of facts, part of Dan's life, individual meanings and simply a coincidence as a whole or were they all somehow linked together? And even if they were, did it have any relation to his murder?

***

_"Haley bear, whatever happens to us, promise me one thing, you'll never have any regrets. You'll move forward and never look back. Just know that we will always love you no matter what. Wherever we are, we'll be watching over you. I love sweetheart" said the woman softly, blowing a kiss as the life slowly seeped out of her, leaving her body as a reminder of what used to be._

_"Mommy! Mommy don't go. Daddy, please don't leave me please please please" pleaded the teary eyed young girl, slowly drifting into a state of unconsciousness._

Haley woke up to an unknown place gasping for air. Upon further inspection, she realised she was still in her car, sitting across from the entrance of her apartment building. When did she reach home and why was Lucas's jacket in the passenger seat? She looked around to see any of sign of how she'd ended up here but she couldn't find any. Just as she was about to give up on the mystery, she caught a glimpse of Lucas in the rear view mirror.

"Hey, glad to see you're up" said Lucas handing over a cup of coffee as he settled himself in.

"Lucas, how did I end up here?"

"Hales you had another blackout. How are you feeling?" asked Lucas as he checked my forehead to see if I had a fever.

"I … I'm fine" I replied truthfully.

"Nathan called me. He said he was worried about you and asked me to make sure you were okay. I searched all around looking for you. When I came here, I found you asleep in this car ".

I don't know what came over me but for some reason I really needed my best friend right then. Putting aside my coffee cup, I pulled Lucas in for a tight hug. Letting his warmth envelope me, making my problems disappear.

"I've missed you Luke" I whispered burying my face into the crook of his neck. Sure my back was aching from the rather awkward position we were in but it didn't matter. I was in my bestfriend's arm and that's all the mattered.

After sometime, Luke pulled back

"You look terrible, how about you go inside and take some rest", he said softly, gazing into my eyes filled with warmth and protectiveness. No matter how screwed up life got, Lucas would always be there to make it better.

"You're not going to come in?" I asked, slightly disappointed. With the case and Lucas's various basketball gatherings we rarely got any time to spend with each other.

"I'd love to but I told Brooke we'd go out tonight and I'm already late", he replied with a sly smile.

That's when it clicked, tonight was _the_ night.

"So you're finally going to propose", I asked excitedly. Nothing would make me happier than to see my two best-friends bound together in matrimony.

With the sweetest smile imaginable, he affirmed my suspicion.

"Wish me luck"

"Oh come on. Brooke's been waiting for you to propose since the day you got back together during freshman year. Of course she's gonna say yes"

"I hope so. Are you sure you're going to be okay?" he asked still concerned in true brotherly fashion.

Was I going to be okay? I didn't know. Just because I was still hung up on the past didn't mean I had to bring everyone else down with me. Forcing myself to cheer up, I urged him to go on. Brooke would be waiting.

I helped Luke catch a taxi and waited until I'd seen the cab disappear into the distance. Tonight was going to be a night to remember for Lucas and Brooke; I wished them the best of luck.

As I stood in front of my apartment building, I felt completely lost. It felt like the apartment and everything inside it belonged to some other girl. A girl who was pure and honest, not a killer like me. Instead of going inside like I should have, I found myself walking back towards my car. I needed to clear my head, and driving around aimlessly usually did the trick.

When I finally found the strength to return home, it had become quite late in the night. The entrance hall was completely dark. Emma, the receptionist must have left early. Given the dreary weather, who in their right minds would want to stay here? The only thing in sight was the glare of the digital clock behind the counter which indicated that it was now 11:35 pm.

I walked into the elevator, the bright lights forcing me to squint. I hated being alone, especially on days like these. Being alone gave me the chance to reflect on things, the chance to overanalyse every detail and in the process become more miserable than I was to begin with. I walked into the corridor past the mirrors, afraid to look inside. I didn't want to see my face. I didn't want to see the red rimmed eyes and the smeared makeup. The truth is I hated to see myself vulnerable.

I walked into the dark hallway, trying to fish for my house keys, my cell phone being the sole source of light. Looking up, I realised I wasn't alone. There leaning on my apartment door sat Nathan, asleep and unaware of the kinds of turmoil I was going through in that instant. Why was he here?

Setting aside my purse, I bent down to wake him up.

"Nathan … Nathan wake up", I whispered.

Nothing.

Reluctantly, picking up his drooping head with one hand and using the other to shake him I continued to call him "Nathan, Nathan get up"

Thankfully this time he heard me.

"H… Haley what am I doing here" he asked rather loudly.

"Shh … you'll wake up the neighbours. As for your question, you tell me. What are you doing here?"

His eyes were glazed and speech slurred. He was drunk.

Opening the door, whilst supporting Nathan's tall frame turned out to be a difficult task indeed. After sometime I heard the door click, and proceeded to guide him towards the couch. Once he'd settled in, I asked him again:"Nathan why are you here?"

I pushed a cushion under his head and sat down on the carpet awaiting his answer.

"I wanted to see you" he replied looking into my eyes.

I don't know why but seeing him like this terrified me.

"Why"

He moved away a strand of hair covering my eyes and continued "because I was worried about you".

I didn't like where this was going.

"I'm fine Nathan".

I tried to help him as he struggled to sit upright but he was much too proud to take my assistance.

"Are you really?"

"Yes", I replied somewhat off balance. I was afraid to look at him. One glance and he could tell everything I was thinking. I don't know if he still had that ability but I had no intention of finding out.

"I look at you and I see Chris Keller's face. Why did you do this to me Hales"?

I didn't know what to answer. Looking up, I realised he wasn't looking for one.

"I look at you and am reminded of the pain you caused me. I convince myself that you mean nothing to me but my heart just won't follow. I so badly want to hate you but I can't".

"Why are telling me all this"? I asked, tears threatening to spill out. It killed me to see him hurting, more so knowing that I was the cause of that hurt.

"When you're with me, I remember that day at the beach when Dan caught us drinking. I remember our tutoring sessions, our wedding. I remember every detail of our life together and my heart breaks to a thousand pieces".

"Stop it", I yelled. "Stop it!"

But he didn't stop. He continued to bombard me with his words. Everything I wanted to hear from him but just couldn't.

"Not a day went by in these seven years that I didn't think of you."

Using his thumb, he began wiping my tears, placing a kiss in their place. My body went still. My brain stopped functioning, and my heart began beating faster and faster. I couldn't breathe. My throat constricted and my entire body began to ache for him. And yet I stood motionless.

He then said the one thing that he and I both knew would break me completely.

"I still love you", he whispered looking into my eyes with utmost sincerity.

Before I could process anything, I felt his lips on mine and the rest of the world faded.

He loved me. He still loved me.

But the more important question had been left unanswered. Had he forgiven me?

A few hours later

NATHAN's POV

I woke up to find myself in an unknown location. The faint glow of the headlights in the streets below were the sole source of illumination.

_Where was I? How did I get here?_

I tried to get up but found myself being held back. That's when it all came crashing back. The bank, the kiss, the drive to Haley's apartment, it all came back, too many memories, too fast. To make matters worse, I found myself stuck with a splitting headache, and stiff back. Oh what I wouldn't give for a shower and a warm bed to collapse on.

_What time was it?_

Careful not to wake her, I extracted my arms from Haley's grip and somehow managed to slide out of the bed soundlessly.

_How could you let this happen?_

Suddenly I felt a cool breeze pierce my skin. A window was open and I found myself to be stark naked. I didn't feel any regrets about what happened, nor was I proud of my actions.

_What are you going to tell Haley? What about Peyton, your fiancé?_

With the help of the different pieces of furniture, I managed to find my clothes, get dressed and eventually guide myself towards the exterior of her apartment. The right thing to do would be to leave a note for her but what was I supposed to say?

_Everything I said was true but I'm sorry I can't be with you. Please understand?_

The murder, the trial and now this, the more I wish for things to be simple, the more complicated they become. If only I could tell her the truth maybe things would be simple then. Who am I kidding? The truth would make things worse. The truth would blow her mind. Not only would it break her but it would break me too and I just couldn't let that happen. No, I'd have to keep this farce going for a little while longer. It's for the best.

HALEY's POV

A couple of hours later I woke up feeling the happiest had felt in years. I didn't want to think about morality and I didn't want to think consequences. All I wanted was to enjoy being in the arms of the one man that I loved with all of my heart. As I tried to get closer to him, wanting to feel his body near mine, what I found instead was me hugging a pillow.

_He couldn't just leave could he?_

I walked from one end of the apartment to the other with Nathan nowhere in sight. That sinking feeling in my stomach just got immensely stronger.

_It was a mistake. Our time together meant nothing to him._

He was drunk and babbling, he was going through a lot of stress and he just spouted out whatever came to him.

_How could I have been so stupid? Two steps forward and three steps back. Great going Haley!_

I carefully picked up the pile of yesterday's clothes, placed them in the closet and settled into my jammies, feeling angry at myself and at the world.

***

A couple of days went by and I felt strangely numb. I hadn't the courage to face Nathan and hadn't the time to speak to anyone else. I didn't feel guilty about what I'd done and I wasn't hurt by Nathan's actions. Yes, short note would have been convenient but in a way I could understand Nathan's frame of mind at the moment. He had a different life now, he had to do right by Peyton no matter what.

The date of the next hearing was fast approaching and I was no where near where I had to be to ensure a strong case for Nathan. A part of me wished Nathan had never entrusted me with his case, life would have been so much easier then. I was so distracted in my thoughts that I didn't hear the ringing of my cell phone until some random stranger took the liberty of pointing it out.

"Haley, Charlie here"

Charlie was my friend over at the local video store. Blockbuster employee by day, computer genius by night, and his expertise had come in handy time and time again over the years.

"Hey Charlie, were you able to recover anything?" I asked, biting my nails, a nervous habit of mine. After that trip to Dan's penthouse with Nathan, I'd gone back once more in search of the missing videotapes.

_If Dan Scott's residence was eerie at night, then it was downright tragic by day. Haley was determined to locate the clues that would help solve the case. FBI had arrived minutes after the fire searching the place through and through and yet there was something still missing. Aside from the bottle with Nathan Scott's fingerprints, little was recovered from the scene._

_Haley ran her finger over the walls, feeling the pieces of wallpaper now having been burnt to a crisp. Cliché as it may seem, Dan was the kind of guy from the old Sherlock Holmes novels, sinister at heart, keeping his innermost possessions hidden behind bookshelves or in secret compartments. Just as she was about to give up on finding the footage, she came across Dan's walk in closet. Once having been filled with Armani suits and basketball memorabilia, like everything else in the house, it too had perished in the fire. That's when it hit her, what better place to nurse your paranoid fantasies that to keep them safely tucked away in your closet along with every with other evil deed you've committed over the years. Haley walked past the burnt articles of clothing and found herself peering through the ventilator slits. When Nathan wanted to hide something from her, he'd always put them in the ventilation pipes. At the time it had seemed like a stupid idea but now she realised just how useful it could be. Using a thin piece of metal laying on the black flooring, she pried open the cover and poof as if by magic, the light of hope that she was searching for popped out of nowhere. There were three disks and what looked to be some sort of computer part, just lying there, waiting to be seen, waiting to tell the story they'd longed to tell since day of the fire._

"Actually, I was able to recover almost everything" he replied cautiously.

"And …?"

"And I think you should watch this" responded Charlie, clearly shaken. Why hadn't it noticed it before? The hint of nervousness in his voice, obviously it must have been something big.

"I'll be right there Charlie", I replied, rushing to get to my car, having come up with some feeble excuse dropping my groceries and rushing past the cashier line-up.

I whizzed past the afternoon traffic and by some miracle managed to find myself a parking space just outside Charlie's apartment. The door opened almost instantly as if he was just waiting for me. Charlie was a laid back kind of guy, brilliant but awfully careless.

As he welcomed me past his dump of an apartment, covered with piles clothing, papers and random pieces of food lying around, I had the strong urge to regurgitate. Was it from the anticipation of what I was about to find or was it because of that putrid smell that seemed to soak up the entire apartment?

Charlie opened his laptop and proceeded to open the file in question. Would what I see make my darkest fears come to life? "I was going through the disks just like you said. For the longest time I couldn't find anything. The disks have video feedback only up to an hour before the party".

"So what happened? I thought you found something", questioned anxiously.

"I did. When I couldn't find anything on the disk, I decided to go through the hard drive. It was pretty badly burned but I was still able to recover some stuff", he replied excitedly, typing away some sort of code sequence I couldn't even begin to understand.

"I had a lot of trouble trying to get in because of the encryption but I finally managed to crack the code. I'll tell you this much, whatever the Senator was hiding, it sure must have been something big –"

"Wait a minute, how did you know this had something to do with Senator Scott's case".

For a split second, he stopped typing and looked to me with a twinkle in his eyes.

"You'll see"

And with one last click, I began seeing Dan Scott's penthouse through the eyes of the culprit. The picture was rather hazy due to the amount smoke that covered area but it was pretty easy to make out. A black shadow appeared and disappeared, dragging Dan's body through the ground, leaving a pool of blood as he travelled.

"Can you slow it down a bit?"

"Sure", replied Charlie as he went frame by frame, zooming in to give a clear view of Nathan's face, who at the time was completely unaware of how in that few moments he was about to throw his entire life out the window.

Those eyes, so blue, so innocent, and yet harbouring one of the biggest truths of our time. I've always been a strong person; it would take something really big to have an effect on me. And this, this just completely blew my mind. I felt my knees wobble. I located the nearest couch and simply collapsed.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked worriedly as he went about finding me some water.

When it came to work, I didn't let emotions get in the mix, so it was natural for Charlie to find my reaction rather odd. I didn't care what he thought though. All I could think of was how could I have been so wrong? I'd always prided myself on my instincts but now I wasn't so sure. I was confident that Nathan couldn't have killed Dan, in spite of the evidence Rachel Gatina presented at the arraignment I was sure that they'd gotten it wrong. That the Nathan I knew couldn't have committed such a gruesome act. How could I let this happen? How did I let my willingness for Nathan to be innocent cloud my judgement like this? The day I passed my bar exam, I'd promised myself that I'd only fight for those who deserved it. Before every case, I made it clear that at any point in the trial, if I discovered that the allegations were true, I'd leave the case right there and then. What was I going to do now? Was I going to abandon Nathan once again during his time of need or was I going to go back on my word?

"Haley, are you sure you're okay?"

"I … I'm fine", I whispered in between gulps.

"Charlie, this information … what you just saw. It mustn't go out of the room. You got it?"

"Of course, I'll keep my mouth shut", he said with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you"

***

I walked out of Charlie's apartment straight to my car and back to the office, feeling entirely numb from head to toe. Just then, in the worst possible time, I got the call I least desired:

"Haley, its Rachel here"

Trying my best to gain my composure, I responded void of emotion (or at least I hoped): "Yes Rachel, what can I do for you?"

"I know you said you wanted to take this to trial but I was hoping you would reconsider. We could settle this out of court. You know make a deal and save Mr. Scott the trouble of having to deal with the media madness. What do you say?"

If you'd asked me just minutes ago, I would have completely blown her off saying that we didn't need to settle for a deal but now I wasn't sure. Whatever decision I made, it had to be for Nathan's best interest but right now I wasn't sure I was the right person to take that decision.

"Look Rachel, I'm kind of in the middle of something. Would you mind if I called you back? Thanks" and I disconnected the call, not giving her a chance to react, or rather pry into things.

I'd have to face Nathan and I'd have to convince him to take whatever deal the prosecution offered. There was no other way.

It felt like I was having an out of body experience. My body was processing mechanically, taking the steps that needed to be taken to minimize the damage while my mind was just following along, barely able to grasp what happening and was going to happen in the near future.

Before I knew it, I'd managed to drive all the way across town and found myself in front of Nathan's house. Without hesitation, I walk toward his doorstep, pulled out the door key from underneath the flower pot and let myself in. I didn't stop until I'd found him in that monstrosity that he called a house.

I walked into to his living room and threw the disk containing Dan's apartment's video footage on his coffee table.

He looked at me questioningly.

"Nathan what the hell is this?" I asked utterly furious.

"You tell me" he replied with the famous Scott smirk.

He picked up the disk and placed it in the DVD player. Just as I expected, the moment the footage came alive on the screen, Nathan's face drained of colour. He looked at me wide eyed and baffled "Where did you find this"?

That controlled expression, betraying the multitude of emotions that were no doubt running through his head, didn't seem appear as I assumed it would.

I'd hit the jackpot as they say.

"That doesn't matter. Do you have any idea what kind of a situation you've put me in?"

"Y … You can't show this to anyone!" he declared, shaking his arms vigorously, as if any moment someone was going to come and take him away.

"Nathan, I have to submit this information to the prosecution. I … I could lose my bar license if I don't", I replied helplessly.

Clearly shaken by the revelation, Nathan placed himself on couch and looked up averting my eyes: "I know I'm sorry. I can't ask you to do that."

Letting go of my own emotions of a little bit, I sat beside him and brought his hands to my own. "Nathan what happened that night?" I prodded softly.

"I already told you".

I looked at him disbelievingly. After all of this he was still sticking to his false statement?

"Well you lied. I think we've established that haven't we?"

At that he, pull away his hands and gazed out towards the window. I was determined to seek out the truth from him. I'd had had enough of the lies. Even a five year old could understand that something was off. Deb, Keith, Peyton, Karen, and who knows how many others, they were all in it together. I was now only beginning to understand just how deep this plan of Nathan's ran. What was this big secret and why were they so adamant on keeping it hidden from public?

"Nathan, what made you do it? Why did you kill him?"

"I didn't kill him" he replied forcefully.

"Then who did?"

When he wouldn't look at me, I gently turned his face to look at mine. I wanted him to look at me when he told me the truth.

I waited for him to respond but he remained silent.

That's when it occurred to me. He wasn't the one who'd done it. It was someone _else_. But who?

"Nathan who is it?"

Nothing

"Nathan please tell me"

Again nothing.

"Nathan, I'm your lawyer. If you don't tell me the truth, how can I help you?" I questioned desperately.

He stood up and walked towards the window. Why couldn't he understand? Why couldn't he just let me in?

"Nathan who are you trying to protect?" I asked once more, resting my hand on his shoulder. He was battling with himself, I could tell. But what he didn't know was just how much his turmoil was hurting me. I wished we could run away. Away from the law, the media, everything. I wish it could be just the two us like it had been during our tutoring sessions. What I wouldn't I give to go back to those days. Life was so much simpler then.

After sometime, he asked: "what happens now"

"What happens is that either you tell me the truth or we setup a meeting with the prosecution and we settle on a plea bargain."

"How long"

I couldn't believe it. He was going through with the plan. He would go to jail but wouldn't out the real killer. If it had been any other situation, I would have admired him for his loyalty. But this was plain stupid. He was putting his life in jeopardy for what? A bloody murderer? Why?

"This state doesn't offer the death penalty so your sentence could be anywhere from 8 to 15 years with or without parole, depending on what the prosecution charges you with."

He looked to me as if he'd lost the battle. Rolling his fist into a ball, he swept his arm across the fireplace mantle, pushing all of its contents onto the floor. He looked at his hand, examining the scratches, and bits of glass piercing his skin.

"You're bleeding", I declared, shocked at my own words.

Was he even listening to me, I wondered. He just stood there unmoving.

I tugged at his arm, being careful not to step in the shards of glass; I guided him towards the bathroom. As we walked through the narrow corridor, I noticed the trail of blood we were leaving behind. Watching the solitary drops of blood taint the pristine white flooring, brought in me this odd sense of familiarity. As if I'd been through this before. Blood and me, we were old friends or should I say enemies? I'd been covered in it on the day of the car accident and then again sophomore year when Nathan and his goons had managed to thrash Lucas so badly. Yes, blood and I, we were friends alright. Just the sight of it, red and viscous, sticking to my palms, coupled by the metallic smell, made my stomach churn to this day.

I walked into the bathroom, searching for a first aid kit but much to my dismay there was none. I took his hand into my own and gently pulled at the bits of glass embedded into his flesh. No matter hard I tugged, Nathan didn't flinch, not once. It was like he was frozen, so deeply engrossed in his thoughts that the world outside the realm out of his own didn't seem to exist for him.

Satisfied with my work, I wrapped his hand as tight as I could with a towel, and guided him back towards the nearest room.

This room, like every other in the house, was cold and uninviting. The white sheets and the bed's metallic frame, reminded me of a hospital. This lack of passion in every sense, from the rooms to Nathan, himself, had I been the cause of it? Back in high school he'd been so lively, so hopeful, in spite of all the nonsense he'd faced. What happened to that boy?

"Thank you", he replied, as we settled ourselves on the bed.

"You're welcome", I replied, forcing myself to smile. As much as I wanted to tell him that things would be okay and I'd be there to help him through it, I couldn't. I didn't want to betray him, not _again_.

An awkward silence filled the air.

I wanted to ask him again about the case but I was afraid to provoke him. For some reason I began to cry. I couldn't explain it; this burst of emotion came out of nowhere. I kept thinking of his injured hand and the look in his eyes the day he'd broken down in front of me in this very house and I began to cry. A steady stream of tears flowed but I didn't attempt to stop them.

Nathan glanced at me and he just understood. He flicked away the droplets of tears with his thumb and brought me into his arms.

"Shh…"

I didn't care if I was making his shirt wet or the fact that he was engaged to someone else. I just wanted to be with him and I didn't care of the consequences.

"I don't want you to go to … to", I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence.

_I don't want you to go to prison_

"I know", he replied softly, pulling me even closer, if that's possible.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, but it didn't matter. When it comes to Nathan and me, time and space were irrelevant.

After sometime, when I'd finally managed to calm down, he spoke: "You really don't remember do you?"

Intrigued, I sat upright and he followed, "remember what?"

"The night of Dan's murder"

_What was he getting at? _

"No, why?"

For a moment, he remained silent, as if fighting one last battle before finally coming clean about what happened that ominous night.

"It was you Haley", he declared, blowing out a sigh of relief, as if a large burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

NATHAN's POV

She looked at me, confused. There was no easy way of saying this. How do you tell someone they've done something wrong when they have no actual recollection of it?

"What was me?" she asked apprehensively. One look into her eyes and I could see the fear. One look and I'd known that she'd fully understood what I was implying but I suppose it was easier for her to feel confused than to come to terms with what I was telling her.

"It was you who killed him, Haley. _You_", I confessed.

I went to touch her and she jumped out of bed as if I was fire.

"No!" she replied forcefully. I wondered who she was trying to convince, me, the person who'd been witness to the entire incident, well … most of it, or herself, the one responsible. My bet would be on the latter.

Just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse, I felt the signs of a splitting headache coming on. _God I need a drink_

"No, you're wrong", she said softly, shocked by her own voice, clearly in denial.

I couldn't look at her in that moment, the look of disbelief, the pleading glances, begging me to say that it was all a joke.

Except it _wasn't_.

I couldn't help but have the urge to laugh at my own predicament. After spending the last month and half, bearing the brunt of Haley's actions, I'd thought this was as bad as it could get but I was wrong; I hadn't the faintest idea how to make her understand. It's because of this that I'd wanted to take the fall and I was still going to regardless of what Haley had to say. Somewhere deep inside, I just knew that it would be wrong to keep Haley away from the truth.

After what seemed like eternity, Haley managed to calm down. She wiped her tears, looked at me solemnly and said "tell me what happened". From the look on her face, I could see her inner strength return to surface. A long time ago someone had asked me of all the girls I could have been with, what made me choose Haley. I'd told him that I admired her. I admired how she could be so unyielding regardless of the obstacles that came into view. At a time when I was young and highly impressionable, Haley had taught me how to be my own person without following my father's every command. She acted as a shield of sorts, protecting me from life's bitterness. In a way, seeing what she'd done to Dan, I'd thought it was my turn to return the gesture.

Taking a deep breath, gathering as much courage as I could, I began: "It was late at night. The party was long over. …". As I looked up, I realised she was gone. I walked to the window and watched her car, zoom away.

It was over. It was _all _over.

As much as I hated it, my life was once again in Haley's hands. When she left the first time, my world fell apart. I became this bitter person to whom the world didn't matter. It took me years and years to come out of that state of mind. And just when I'd finally gotten over everything and began moving forward with my life, she came back again to break me down all over again. What was it about Haley that made me so weak? After everything that happened, why was I still willing to take the fall for her without a moment's hesitation? Wasn't love supposed to make you stronger? Then why did Haley's presence always make me feel more powerless than I'd ever been before?

_The pain of love is the pain of being alive. It is a perpetual wound. - Maureen Duffy_

I wish she'd quit running. I wish she'd just talk to me. No matter what happened, she always kept it inside. It's what worried us, me, Luke, Karen, all of us. She always kept it inside, like a soda bottle, the pressure just kept building and building. We were afraid of what would happen when that pressure crossed the threshold and finally exploded, like the cap of a coke bottle after its been shaken vigorously. I always knew that those suppressed emotions would come out someday but I hadn't expected it to erupt in such a profound fashion.

On the other side of town, a girl with shimmering blonde hair stood alone in a barren road way, beside the soothing river scenery, watching the sunset, feeling as if she'd had the ground pulled out from underneath her. Could it be true? Could her hands have been tainted by blood? Had she committed the unspeakable? Was she … was she a … a _murderer_? She looked at her hands, her honey skin glistening under the twilight sky. Her fingers, long and sturdy, her palms skilled and steady as a rock, who could tell they were capable of performing a vile act such as this? For a brief moment, she felt like she got a flash of her hands, vibrant red and incriminating. Was it a glimpse of her past or simply an illusion, a case of her mind playing tricks on her? What ever it was, it unsettled her greatly. She rushed toward the beach, the feel of sand tingling her senses; she wanted to wipe it off. She wanted to wipe off the stains, the accusations, the lies, she wanted the wipe it all of. She rubbed and rubbed but the blood in her hands just wouldn't go away. The more she tried, the worse it got. The image of her bloody hands forever imprinted in her skull. It would go on to haunt her till death.

If it hadn't been for the look on Nathan's face, never in a millions years would Haley have believed an accusation such as this. In a way it all felt like a dream and in a way it didn't. In a way it made more sense than anything else in world. Nathan had no reason to put the blame on her unless it was true. And even if it had been some ploy to implicate her into the case and free himself in the process, what proof did she have? After exhausting all options, she had yet to remember what happened that night or the events that took place thereafter.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Once more thank you for the wonderful reviews. Your comments and support are my greatest source of inspiration. Well here is the final part of this story. I hope the end is satisfying for you all. I would love to hear your thoughts so don't forget to leave your reviews. Once again, writing in italicize refers to flashbacks. Enjoy!  
**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own One Tree Hill or any of it's characters.

* * *

HALEY's POV

After I left Nathan's I'd received about a dozen calls, some from Nathan, others from Lucas, the rest I didn't even bother to check. How did I get myself into this situation, I wondered. My world was fine, work, home, Lucas and Brooke, and back, that was in essence my life for the last 7 years. It was monotonous at times, I admit, but at least it was peaceful. My blackouts had stopped, Nathan was out of the picture, everything was so simple, either black or white, no grey area in between. And now, it was all grey, no black, no white just grey and grey everywhere. I thought I was done with the life of chaos, how did I get pulled back into it?

When I got home that night, I found Lucas standing at the front door, with a lop-sided smile, miserably failing to mask the concern in his eyes.

"You're back", he replied seemingly relieved as he let me through.

After resting my briefcase on the floor, I walked into his arms, feeling his loving arms tightly wrap around my body, trying to convey the emotions he couldn't even begin to articulate through the use of mere words.

_- When there's nothing good to say, it's better to say nothing at all._

"Did you know?" I asked not wanting to be lied to again.

He looked at me almost hurt that I would even think of suggesting such a thing.

"Of course not"

We walked over to the couch, me resting my head on his chest and him putting his arm around my shoulder. Before I knew it, I fell into a deep slumber, finding it difficult the morning after to regain my consciousness. After many many nights, I had had my first peaceful night of sleep.

I awoke the morning after with a peculiar sense of determination. The file, the check, the sequence of numbers, what did they mean? People kept their most valuable possessions in their safety boxes, were these Dan's Scott's?

I decided to take on the simplest task first – the check. Given that the check expired 20 years ago, even that would be a considerable task indeed. Call it intuition but something from within me suggested that I'd find the answers to all of my questions where it all began, the source of all of my problems – back in Tree Hill.

Leaving a brief message to Lucas, I booked the earliest flight back to North Carolina and reached Tree Hill shortly after. As always, Tree Hill remained unchanged. As I walked back through my old routes, remembering those carefree days, I began to feel the stares. A long time ago it had been because I had been the one to break the heart of Tree Hill High's star basketball player. This time around it was because I was here to save their legacy – Nathan Scott, NBA star and THH alumni.

"Haley" exclaimed Karen, pleasantly surprised.

I dropped my suitcase and felt myself being pulled into a warm motherly hug.

"It's so good to see you sweetie. How are you doing", she asked, touching my cheeks, trying to compensate for the years of separation.

I guess the inner battle I was going through seemed to surface into the exterior as well. Either that or Karen was a damn good mind reader, either of which is possible.

We sat down on the kitchen table where she looked at me questioningly. I'd called her out of the blue and told her I was coming, no explanations whatsoever.

"Can I ask you a question?" I asked, suddenly terrified to look at the woman who'd raised me.

"Sure honey. What?"

"Nathan told me that I was the one that hurt Dan, is it true?"

_Hurt_. That's the word I'd used to describe cold blooded murder. Even the thought of it chilled me to my core and yet I was supposed to believe that it had really happened? Part of me believed that this was just a dream gone horribly wrong and part of me accepted the fact and was now ready to face punishment.

Karen wouldn't look me in the eye. She looked through the window, staring at some high school students, lost in thought.

"Karen?"

"What? Oh. Sorry. I don't really know what happened that night. I only know what Keith told me"

I'd expected it, but still, hearing the words from her mouth made them seem more real. Everyone knew about this secret and everyone chose to keep me out of the loop. I didn't know what to feel, I felt guilty for having put everyone in a situation where they felt like the hand to lie to me, and on the other hand I felt happy. Happy to know that in spite of what went down, in spite of all of my mistakes, I still had people who cared for me.

"So all this while you both _knew_?"

She looked at me guiltily, not being able to come up with words.

"When I came here for the statements, you said nothing. You just let me believe that it was Nathan. How could you?" I questioned, suddenly hurt beyond belief.

"We did what we thought was best. We never wanted to hurt you", confessed Karen.

I wondered if this was the line everyone was going to spew at me every time I questioned them.

"God, what is wrong with everyone? You people treat me like a freakin' China doll. You had no right to do this to me", I screamed just as Keith made his entry into the kitchen.

I knew I was being rude. Karen had taken me into her home when I had nowhere to go. She raised me like her own daughter, it was wrong of me to act this way. I knew the guilt of my actions would come back to torment me later on, but at the time, I was furious and had no control over my emotions. Everyone I cared about, everyone I ever trusted, they had all lied to me. Granted that it was to protect me but a lie is a lie no matter how you spin it.

"Haley, you apologize to Karen right now", said Keith sternly while Karen tried to stop him.

I took a deep breath and counted back from ten, a little trick I'd learned from one particularly hostile client. It always helped me get over my anger.

"I'm sorry Karen; I shouldn't have spoken like that. But the fact remains, you guys shouldn't have lied to me".

Karen came forward, wanting to hug me and put an end to this argument but I stepped back. I just wasn't ready to put this behind.

"I'm sorry. I can't do this", I said softly, and rushed back to my old room.

Pastel green walls, inspirational quotes and family pictures all around, things hadn't changed at all. Inside it was like time had frozen, I felt like I was in high school again. Tutor girl, the one everyone came to when they needed help and otherwise ignored. I felt like at any moment, Lucas would walk in with his overgrown blonde hair, pining for Peyton Sawyer.

After years of denial, I truly felt like an outsider. Throughout high school, I strived to be my own person but in the process always ended up being alone. It wasn't until Nathan and I started dating that I truly felt like I belonged. So many years had passed and yet my life was the same. I left Nathan and once again the world made me into an outsider. Only this time, I was the only one on the other side, this time around, Lucas wouldn't be there to relate.

I walked to the bed and felt the soft white sheets caress my arms. This room had so many memories. My first kiss, my first couple fight, my first memory lapse, everything. Now that I thought about it, it really was a shame that I left the way I did. Nathan wouldn't take me back, that was fine but by leaving, I'd accepted defeat. As I began retracing my footsteps a peculiar thought came to mind. When I was young and discovered this condition, I began writing things down, so as not to forget. My own mind could betray me, but words written on paper were as good as stone.

I opened the closet, pushed past the clothes, organised by color and event and looked for something. Everything was the way I'd left it, down to the lone sock laying on the wooden floors. But something was missing.

"It's not there", Karen announced tentatively, unsure of where we stood. I hadn't forgiven her, I'm not sure I ever would, but I realised there was no point in ruining a relationship over what had already been done.

"What's not there"?

"The memory box, that's what you're looking for right", she asked sitting on the bed, patting it, ushering me to come sit with her.

This brought back so many memories. When Karen gave Lucas and me _the talk_, when I told her about Nathan's proposal, when I'd cried on her shoulder upon making the deal for divorce, so many recollections, it all seemed to have happened so long ago.

"Where is it" I asked, getting ready for another hurdle. I didn't know why but I was certain that this had some sort of connection to Dan's case.

"About two or three weeks before, well … you know, Dan's passing, you came to Tree Hill".

"What" I asked dumbfounded, feeling the beads of sweat develop on my forehead. I waited in anticipation for Karen to go on.

"You seemed disturbed. 7 years I have no contact with you and one day you showed up no warnings, no explanation. You just came in, and locked yourself in this room. When you wouldn't talk to me, I went back to the café. Later on, when I came back, you were gone and so was the memory box."

"So I didn't tell you anything?" I questioned, but it came out more like a plea, hoping against hope that Karen could give me the one clue that could solve this entire mystery.

"Not exactly. You mumbled something about putting an end to this lifelong source of agony".

Life long source of agony? What the hell did that mean? Agony … agony … it was finally coming back to me.

"The box, I know where it is", I said triumphantly.

And that was it. The golden clue, the one thing I'd need to string together all the pieces to this ever changing riddle that was now running my life. When Mouth was in college, in hopes of helping me deal with my condition, he'd told me about this. He'd called it a trigger, one small thing, an object, a word, a feeling, one thing that could bring back the suppressed memories. At the time I hadn't really understood it but now that I'd experienced it, I realised just how valuable a tool this could be.

3 days later

_In a surprising turn of events, early this morning, Haley James, head defence attorney in the Dan Scott murder confessed to killing the senator. The legitimacy of these claims is still in question; however, sources suggest that there is ample evidence to support this theory. Up next, an exclusive interview with the leading prosecutor Rachel Gatina. Stay tuned, we'll be right back!_

Lucas stood in the New York Knicks locker room stunned. Haley had surrendered herself to the police? Why? She said something didn't add up but why would she take the charges upon herself?

Some 200 miles away in Washington DC stood Nathan Scott viewing the same revelation through 10 different televisions outside of a store window. He felt his phone vibrating deep in his pocket but couldn't remember how to pick up the phone. He stood frozen, eyes glued to the television screen(s).

"H … Hello"

"Nathan Scott?" asked the voice of an unknown woman.

"Yes this is him".

"This is to let you know that the charges against you have been dropped. Please come by the DA's office to complete the formalities".

Nathan didn't hear much else after that. He was free. Good god he was _free!_ For the last month and a half he'd longed to hear those words and now that he'd heard them, he wasn't sure how he felt about it. The implications just crashed on him and he found it difficult to breathe. It was as if his airways had narrowed, no matter how hard he sucked, his lungs refused to cooperate.

"Sir, are you okay?" asked an elderly woman, to which he motioned that he was fine and the lady went on her way. Haley was in jail. Haley was in _jail._ No matter how he said it, he just couldn't make himself believe it.

Brooke was in her car when she got the news:_ "Ladies and gentleman, the plot thickens in the case of basketball's first family. Haley James attorney and ex-wife to Nathan Scott surrendered herself to the MPDC (Metropolitan Police Department of __Washington__, __DC__) this morning at approximately __10 AM__"._

Had she begun hearing things? She changed the radio station about a dozen times and everyone had the same thing to say, that Haley had confessed to Dan Scott's murder. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't.

_"Moreover, she has waived her right to an attorney. What the heck is going through that woman's mind right about now? Gloria, what do you think the Scott family is doing at this very instant" asked the man no doubt getting a kick out of the situation. _

It was all just fun and games to them. What will Nathan do next? Has Haley gone crazy? How will the family members react to this situation? They were cruel and heartless people. The media, they were like vultures, pouncing on their prey the moment they sensed vulnerability. They just kept biting and tearing, feeding on others' weaknesses without even a trace of guilt.

Brooke felt light headed. The world was spinning, and her heart was pounding like a sledge-hammer. She felt empty inside. Lucas … had he gotten the news? Haley had been her friend since sophomore year; Lucas and Haley had been friends since they were babies, what would he be thinking?

A few hours later

Lucas stood at the state penitentiary waiting for the guards to bring out Haley.

The arraignment was set for the next day and this was his only chance to knock some sense into his best friend.

He sat in filthy room, fixated on a particularly deep cigarette burn. His trance broke once the two bulky men brought out Haley. It broke his heart to see her this way. She looked so small compared to the guards. Her hair was dishevelled and you could see the dark circles beneath her eyes. Upon sight of him, Haley's face broke into a smile. It could fool anyone else but he knew better. Lucas could sense the turmoil beneath the safety mask. Her eyes just didn't light up like they used to.

"Orange really doesn't look good on you" joked Lucas.

"Gee thanks Luke", responded Haley rolling her eyes like an immature 16 year old.

And then severity of the situation dawned on the two friends.

"Why'd you do this Haley?"

"Surrender? Because it was the right thing to do", she replied blinking away her tears.

"Tell me, did Nathan put you up to this? Did he frame you? I'll kill him if he did."

Haley reached out her hands through the tiny space under the bullet-proof glasses that separated them and waited to feel his touch, being near Lucas made her feel closer to home.

"It's not Nathan's fault. I did this to myself. I killed Dan and this is my penance."

"No! This can't be true. I know you Hales. You wouldn't do such a thing", argued Luke.

"But I did do it Luke. Nathan was never a part of this. In fact, if I hadn't figured it out, Nathan would have taken the fall and I'd never come to know of the truth".

"W… What are you saying? That you killed him? Then why pretend to be so distraught over the case if you'd known it all along"?

"I never lied to you Luke. I never lied to anyone. I committed the crime and then forgot about it", replied Haley, sensing how absurd her words had sounded. She'd forgotten that she'd committed a murder. Who would believe that?

"Tell me what happened, Hales. What really happened that night"?

The truth was so long and complicated, she didn't know where to start. Sucking in as much as air as her lungs could support, she prepared for what was going to happen next.

"The truth of Dan's death doesn't begin on the night of his Christmas party. The events of that night had been 17 years in the making".

"Seventeen years, what do you mean"?

"Seventeen years ago, Dan Scott committed a murder. _Three _murders to be honest".

"What? Who", questioned Lucas, bewildered.

"Lydia, Jimmy, and … and Haley James. In a way he killed me too on that day" replied Haley not being able to look at Lucas. Dan and Luke had never been close, they'd never shared that special bond and yet there were some traits that were undeniably similar, their dashing good looks for one thing. Lucas would never believe it but he had Dan's eyes. Both crystal blue in colour, they had only one difference. Dan's were filled with wickedness while Lucas's were as pure as snow.

"Haley are you serious? Dan killed your parents? How long have you known?"

"Not long, two days. Do you remember the memory box?"

He stayed silent for a moment. As if trying to brush away the dust that had covered the memories from what seemed like a lifetime ago: "Yeah, your whole life was in that box… What has that got to do with any of this?"

"It's complicated Luke. Last year, I was asked to assist one of my old law school professors in fighting a murder trial where a prominent businessman was accused of hiring a contract killer in order to murder his partner. While doing the research, I'd found an interesting connection between Dan and the defendant. Since then, over my free time, I'd been looking into this mysterious link. So I wouldn't forget, I kept detailed accounts on all of my findings in a small diary and in the days before the murder, I hid it in the memory box. Two days ago, I found the diary and it helped me remember things. I won't be able to give a play by play of what happened but I remember the highlights. Along with my notes and certain clues I found during my investigation, I was able to put together the truth. What I found out was this: I'd gotten my first real proof about a month before Dan's murder. At the time I was working on another case related to contract killings. The common link between the two cases, was a man named Matthew Trenton. As I later found out by way of an expired check, my suspicion was indeed correct. Trenton's case related to the first trial had been declared a mistrial due to inconclusive evidence. But this time, he wasn't so lucky. Following the trial, I'd gone to visit him once and he'd told me something very unsettling".

"What", asked Lucas shocked by this sudden revelation.

"Even before I'd introduced him, he'd known who I was"

_"Haley James. You were married to that senator … what was his name. Oh yeah Dan Scott. You were married to Dan's Scott's son weren't you?" asked a scraggly old man, no older than fifty but the life of crime had forced his hair to turn grey and his teeth to become yellow. _

_Not wanting for her past to come out in front of her peers, she'd feigned innocence "I don't know what you're talking about, you must be thinking of someone else". _

_"Nope, it's definitely you. Same reddish blonde hair, big brown eyes, its you alright. Heh … he sure did a real number on you didn't he?" _

_Haley realized that this was going into something dangerous. She sent the guards outside and turned off the speakers. This was between just her and him._

_"What if it was me? How is this any of your business?"_

_"Girlie for a lawyer you sure are a pretty bad one. You don't even know what happened to your own family"._

_Haley was used to sleazy criminals like him. Though she worked for the rich and the famous, she'd come across several slimebags such as this one. For one thing she knew that men like these enjoyed riling people up. They lied, they tricked, they did what ever pleased them with out the remotest bit of guilt. __Trenton__ was no different and yet his mannerisms suggested he spoke the truth. He'd already gotten a life imprisonment sentence; he had nothing to lose by telling her the truth._

_'What the hell are you talking about?"_

_"Your mommy was a pretty lady. Smart, talented, it's a shame she got together with that James kid. Any guy would kill to bang that woman. I see you've gotten her umm … assets too, good for you!"_

_Haley could see it in his eyes. The creep was scrutinizing every inch of her body, imagining her naked and underneath his own pathetic corpse. Just the thought of it made her feel dirty. She felt like kicking his sorry ass right there and then. She had a small frame but could hold her own in any fight._

_"You sick bastard –"_

_"Hold on there girlie. Don't go around callin' me names like that. Don't you wanna find out how your parents croaked?" he asked with a crooked smile. Haley could tell he was thoroughly enjoying this little encounter._

_"Get to the point will you?"_

_"Your parents they died in a car crash right"?_

_"Yeah, but it was an accident"_

_"Now who told you that? Your daddy's passing was no accident. And your mommy that was a mistake, I admit"._

_"Y… you killed them", said Haley in realization. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing tears. She would not break in front of this man. She remained stone cold, not giving away even the remotest inkling of the kinds of thoughts running through her head at that very instant._

_"Your pops was putting his nose where it didn't belong and I guess Scott didn't like it so much. Something to do with taxes I think. Danny boy hired me to scare your old man a bit. I'd been young and stupid and had tried to tailgate him. 'cept, out of nowhere this truck came into roads and daddy dearest panicked. Now I wasn't about to go and get myself killed now was I? So I ran your daddy's car off the road and got myself the hell outta there. Now your father in law, he was one slick bastard. He was so pissed when he found out what happened that he threatened to put me in jail. He didn't even give me my money. He shut down muh business over that tiny mistake. It took me an awfully long time to get back on his good sides again". _

"My parents married when they were very young. Dad needed a job so he left school and went to work at the power plant. I'd been too young to know but after a while he'd begun taking night classes and ended up getting a business degree. After graduation, he'd gotten a job with the IRS doing tax auditing. One of his cases was to inspect Scott motors. It turns out that over the years, Dan had transferred millions of dollars to off shore accounts in order to evade corporate income taxes. My dad was the first to find out about this and when he refused to accept hush money, Dan Scott paid Trenton to threaten my dad but ultimately he ended up being murdered instead".

Lucas ran his fingers through his hair in frustration: "God Haley. We've always known Dan was a terrible person but this? I never expected him to stoop this low. I'm so sorry Hales".

"It's not your fault Luke".

"I know. I just … you suffered so much because of him. I just wish we'd known sooner. So what happened next"?

"You know that I'd had a memory lapse soon after the murder right?"

"Right."

"This meeting had taken place the afternoon of Dan's party. I came home that night enraged. I was so angry Luke. So incredibly angry. What I was feeling I can't describe it. It was pure hatred that I felt for Dan that night. He killed my parents, he was a constant problem in my marriage. He continued to hassle me years after I'd cut-off all ties with the family. As cliché as it sounds, I was blinded by vengeance. I couldn't think straight. All I could think of was the years of sadness. The years of crying alone at night wishing for my parents to come back, wishing for my life to become the way it had been before. How I got to the apartment, I have no idea".

_Haley stepped out of the state penitentiary and walked back to her car almost robotically. For the longest time, she sat in the car staring at the barbed wire surrounding the cold grey prison walls. "Dan Scott killed my parents. Dan Scott murdered my parents", she thought. The more she thought about her life, the angrier she felt. This despicable man had ruined her life. Her childhood, her marriage, he'd destroyed everything that ever meant something to her. Knowing what she knew, she couldn't just keep quiet on this one. She thought of all the ways she could get her revenge but nothing seemed to be good enough. It was then that her eyes fell on the invitation letter and a plan came to mind. Being a true compartmentaliser, she stuffed her anger into a box in the back of her mind and drove to Mouth's apartment. The key to the plan's success was to give the illusion that everything was normal. Dan didn't kill her parents and she didn't possess a single vengeful bone in her body that was the mantra she kept telling herself throughout the evening. Enjoy Christmas Eve with your friends, take care of Dan afterwards. _

_After what seemed like ages, Haley was finally out of Mouth's apartment building. She'd tried very hard to relax during the party but she just couldn't. It was like her entire life was on hold until she'd taken care of this business. Nothing mattered, not the presents, not her friends' company, none of it mattered. She walked back to her car and within a few moments, found herself in the vicinity of Dan's apartment. She turned towards the backseat and picked up a bottle of Remy Martin, $200 a piece. She'd been saving it for her 20th case victory but opening it now seemed more appropriate. Admiring the circular caramel coloured bottle once more, she opened the top and took in a large gulp, savouring its rich flavour._

_It was time._

_She stepped out of her car, generously dropped some whitish powder inside the bottle and closed the top._

_ Dan Scott was going to pay. _

_Christmas Day __12:40 AM_

_Haley steps into the darkened halls of the __Lincoln__ apartments. The streets were empty and surroundings were quiet, the party must have ended thought Haley._

_Just as she was about to make her way into the elevators, she heard voices. _

_"Well that's Dan alright. I don't care what he's going through, after all that he's done, does he honestly expect us to sympathize with him?" asked the voice of whom she recognized to be her estranged mother-in-law._

_"Ladies, let's call it a night. As for Dan, we're better off without him. Do any of you need a ride?" said a man with a deep voice with a hint of drunkenness._

_"Thanks Keith but I think we're going to sleep it off at my place. You don't mind if I steal your wife away for the night do you?" _

_"Nah Deb you can take Karen with you for tonight. All girls night out or whatever you want to call it. Just don't make it a regular thing okay" _

_And then slowly, the voices faded into the distance. _

_Haley sat on the cold marble floors behind the reception area for a little while longer. She wanted to make sure Dan was absolutely alone before she made her move. Ten minutes later out walked Nathan. It was the first time she'd seen him in over six years. It was the one and only time she'd felt a twinge of guilt over the entire sequence of events that took place that night. He marched through the corridor and stopped just beside the counter to make a call._

_"Peyton where the hell are you?" he yelled over the phone._

_Nathan was less than a meter away from Haley so it was easy to hear the other side of the conversation._

_"I'm on my way home Nate". _

_"What? I don't have a car. Turn around and come pick me up right now" he demanded._

_"Why should I? You're an ass Nathan. You don't even know how to act in front of your dying father. Real classy Nate, how can you be so cold?"_

_Nathan breathed a sigh of frustration then said "I'm sorry Pey. Maybe I shouldn't have acted the way I did. Now look, I'm tired and I have practice in couple of hours. Will you come pick me up, please?"_

_"I'll be there in five. Love you"_

_And finally the coast was clear. Haley went upstairs and straight into Dan's office. For a moment he didn't seem to notice her. His eyes were closed and hands carelessly placed above his head._

_"Merry Christmas, Mr. Scott", greeted Haley, disguising her motives._

_"Oh Haley. I didn't think you'd come. You're a little bit late aren't you. The party's been over for a while now". _

_"Oh I didn't come her for the party " she replied as she settled herself on the leather chair directly in front of him. "This is for you" she said as she handed over the bottle of cognac._

_"Oh really you shouldn't have", he replied as he took out two glasses._

_"So tell me, we haven't spoken in years. Why'd you send me an invitation anyway"?_

_"I don't know. I've had an epiphany of sorts. I thought it was time to make amends", he answered with a tight smile. "I know we haven't been on best of terms. Mostly because of my actions in the past, I admit but I thought we could make a fresh start"._

_"You speak of it so lightly. After everything you've done do you really expect me to forgive you?"_

_"Haley, you make me sound like a criminal. Have I really been that bad?" he asked with a queer smile._

_"Let's see, you tried to turn Nathan against me, threatened me, had me followed even after Nathan and I got divorced, am I forgetting anything else?"_

_"Nope, that pretty much sums it up. Cheers" he said as he handed me a round glass filled with the poisonous liquid._

"All I remember is forcing that poisonous bottle of wine down his throat and a feeling of utter fulfillment and pleasure on seeing him writhe in pain".

_For a moment they remained silent. Scott enjoying the smooth taste of the luxurious gift and Haley watching his every move._

_As soon as he looked up she asked," Are you sure Mr. Scott? Are you absolutely certain that that is all you've done to harm me and my family"?_

_For a moment he looked genuinely confused. Then the effects of the poison set in and Dan Scott looked into Haley's murderous black eyes, horrified. _

_"What did you do?" he asked stunned._

"As disturbing as it sounds, I enjoyed it all, the way blood spewed out of his mouth, the way his eyes filled with guilt when he realised that I'd come to know the truth".

_"It's called __Strychnine. In a few minutes your neck will become stiff" she began with a toothy grin._

_He touched his neck "Why?"_

_"Next your body will go into a spasm" she continued excitedly._

_"J … Jimmy James. I'm so sorry. It was an accident", he confessed as the symptoms began to surface, more vigorously with each passing moment._

_Haley continued to ignore his pleas: "and finally, you'll have trouble breathing. Your lungs will feel heavy and your body will tire from the convulsions. It won't be long now". _

_The great Dan Scott continued to beg for forgiveness but Haley was merciless. Before you go, I want to hear it from your own mouth. Admit that you're responsible for my parents' death. ADMIT IT!"_

"Watching the life drain out of him gave me a sense of peace".

_"You don't know how sorry I am. Your parents died because of me and all these years I didn't bother to care. I'm so so sorry. I deserve to die", he finally confessed as he dropped to the floor, reflecting on his sin in the last few minutes before death took him away. The great Dan Scott had been reduced to a ball, pressed together in a fetal position awaiting the inevitable. At last his body went still and Dan Scott whispered "Thank you" to his assassin before taking his final breath._

_Haley looked on at the motionless figure and felt at rest. Dan Scott was like a virus, given the opportunity to spread, he'd destroy anything and everything in his path. Now that he was gone, the danger was over. The way she saw it, she'd done the world a favour, no one would ever have to face him. Haley backed into a small corner of the spacious office and finally let the emotions overcome her. She cried for her parents, she cried for herself, she cried for Lucas and she cried for Nathan. Every pain she'd ever felt came back to her all at once, piercing her soul. Her body ached like it never had and yet she still wept. Soon her body could no longer sustain the amount of stress and Haley James lost consciousness and recollection of the events that took place this evening along with it. _

"The last I remember before losing consciousness is my hands, covered in Dan's filthy blood".

_It was all over. It was all finally over._

As she'd done several times since she regained her memory, she once again examined her hands: "I don't have any regrets Luke. If I had to do it again, I wouldn't change a thing. Dan Scott deserved to die and I'm glad I was the one to finally bring him down".

Lucas looked at his best friend, almost frightened by her intensity. This was a side of her he'd never witnessed till date. The woman in front of him wasn't the one he'd grown up with. There was no sweetness in her voice and no innocence in her face. The woman in front of him was one who had nothing left to lose.

"Luke do you hate me?" asked Haley apprehensively, her softer side, finally surfacing.

The truth is he didn't know what he felt. He never loved Dan, that much was certain but had he wanted him to die? He wasn't sure. He didn't know why but when he looked at Haley, he didn't see her any differently. Had he been in her place, he might have done the same thing.

"I don't hate you Hales. You're my best friend, I could never hate you".

Just then an alarm sounded, signalling that there were only five minutes left of visiting hours.

"Wow. Look how time passes. I'll plea guilty at tomorrow's arraignment and soon after my sentence will be announced. I don't have any regrets over what I've done and I'm willing to pay for my actions"

It looked like Lucas wanted to say something but Haley didn't give him the chance: "I need you to do me a favour"

"Anything"

"I need you to make sure Nathan keeps his mouth shut. I'm already paying for my actions, I will not have Nathan be stupid and get himself charged on assisting a criminal. Is that clear?"

"Is that clear?" asked Haley once again.

"Clear, but you listen to me carefully. Just like you want to protect Nathan, I have a right to look after you as well. What is wrong with you? You can't go into court without representation. What you did, you weren't thinking straight, I can't … I won't let you throw your life away like this".

"Luke – You can't protect me forever. I know what I'm doing, please do as I say", begged Haley.

"Visiting hours are over. It's time for you to leave sir", insisted one of the guards but Lucas didn't care.

"I'm sorry Hales, I don't care how good a lawyer you are and how smart you think you are, I will not let you go without a fight. Come tomorrow morning, you'll have representation whether you like it or not", declared Lucas in his no nonsense tone.

Before she could protest, Lucas was gone and she was back in her cell waiting for the following day to arrive.

***

Nathan was sitting alone in the dark, dwelling on the past. He still remembered the innocence in Haley's face. He didn't know why or how Haley killed his father but he knew that it wasn't without reason. After 7 years of hatred, seeing her helplessly laying there in the flames had made him feel something he never thought he'd feel: concern. He'd always told himself that he didn't care what happened to Haley but the truth was he did care. Why else would he keep track of her on goings years after they'd separated? Though he wouldn't admit it to anyone but on the day of Haley's convocation he was present at the ceremonies and he'd been proud. He'd also gone to court the day Haley won her first case but she'd never know, just like she'd never know that there was a large scrapbook hidden underneath his bed containing various articles from the days when she was on tour.

"Nathan, you there", yelled Peyton upon entrance into the Scott mansion.

She walked into the living room to find Nathan sitting on the couch intently staring at television screen ahead, watching footage of Haley walking in and out of the District attorney's office. They'd shown this footage about a dozen times in the last hour.

"Nathan", she said softly receiving silence in return.

He was living and breathing but his mind was somewhere else altogether.

She seated herself beside Nathan and carefully took off her heels. It had been a long day and her feet were aching.

Peyton turned off the TV and called out to Nathan once more, Nathan remaining unresponsive.

She kneeled on the floor, stopping at a level so she could maintain direct eye contact with him. Resting her hands on his cheek she pressed her lips unto his. Beneath her hands, she felt Nathan's body return to life once more.

"When did you get here", he asked so innocently that it broke her heart.

This case was tearing him to bits. She could see it. The media was merciless and the case was weak. Day by day she could see the resolve in him dissipate. And now, now that Haley had turned herself in, she was afraid of what he'd do.

"Just now. What happened to your hand", she asked concerned. In response, Nathan pointed to the empty fireplace mantle.

"God Nathan, what the hell is wrong with you?" she could have gone on and on about this but stopped upon seeing his face. He was deeply disturbed.

"I told her the truth", revealed Nathan after some time.

"What? Why"

"Because it was the right thing to do", he confessed. "You should've seen her Peyton; I watched her fall to pieces when I told her what really happened that night".

Peyton didn't know what to think. Nathan was an honest man; she'd known that he wouldn't be able to go through with such a big lie. When Nathan had called her a second time in the middle of the night, asking her to pick him up from an unknown address, she'd known right then that something was wrong. She came, picked him up and drove him to where he wanted without questioning. At first he wouldn't tell her anything but after much coaxing he confessed. At the time she'd thought he was crazy for doing what he'd done but as the court proceedings began, she began to understand.

"Nathan, you never really explained what happened and I never asked. But I can't just leave this unsaid. Tell me what happened that night?"

_Thirty minutes after Nathan left Dan's apartment, he found himself back in the apartment looking for his house keys. The moment he stepped inside, he sensed danger. From the outside everything looked perfectly normal but his instincts were telling otherwise. As he stepped into the apartment, he smelled smoke. He walked around the doorways until he located the source, the office. Inside, what he saw was the last thing he'd ever expected to see. On one end of the room lay his father the one who'd raised him and on the other his first love. Surrounding the two entities lay a ring of fire._

_Haley being nearest to the doorway was his first target. He touched her throat and felt a faint pulse. He swiftly picked up her feather light body and ran towards the exit. Resting her limp structure on safe grounds, he ran towards his father. Battling the flames, and trying his best to suppress a coughing fit, he moved towards his father. Even before Nathan had reached the senior Scott's body, he'd known that it was too late. The more logical thing to do would be to take Haley and get out of the building as soon as he could but he didn't care. Dan Scott was still his father and regardless of how awful he was, regardless of the circumstances that forced Haley to end his life, Nathan couldn't just leave him there to be burnt to ashes. He just couldn't._

_As Nathan got beside his father's lifeless corpse, the source of the fire became clear – a bottle of alcohol and his dad's favourite Cuban cigars. He brushed away the shards of broken glass and began lifting his father's body. By the time he got through the fire, he was breathless. He could no longer support his father's body and they both collapsed onto the floor._

_He pushed himself up and the proceeded to drag his father's body towards the elevator but as he got closer, he realised that the fire had spread too far, too fast. If he wanted to survive, he'd have to let go of his father. It was the only way. And so with one last glance at his father's body, Nathan Scott escaped the burning apartment, with Haley safely tucked in his arms. _

_Once inside the elevator, Nathan finally let himself relax for a moment. He notified the authorities of the fire. Once outside, he let the realization set in. His father was dead and Haley had killed him. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry, his arms were shaking and he was exhausted beyond belief. He wouldn't be able to drive home in this condition. Nathan called Lucas to no avail and couldn't trust Brooke to handle the situation. Finding a nearby payphone, he called Keith instead._

_Within minutes, his uncle arrived and they had returned Haley to her apartment. But they couldn't just leave her alone could they? He didn't know if Haley'd remember any of the events that had taken place just moments ago but he couldn't take any chances. He'd have to hide the truth in order to protect her. It was the only way._

_Just as he tucked Haley into her bed, Mouth arrived. Not only was he a psychologist but he was Haley's friend too. Seeing him crashing in her apartment wouldn't make her suspicious, and being a health professional, Mouth could take care of her in the best possible fashion. It was a win-win situation either way._

That fateful night in Dan's apartment, he was so sure that they'd both leave this incident unscathed. He'd been careful not to touch anything; he'd been discreet so as not to raise suspicion among the neighbours. He'd done so much and yet they'd still been caught. Nathan tried to pinpoint the one mistake that he'd made that led to his arrest and Haley's confession. It was ultimately the fingerprint he'd left whilst moving Dan's body that had been the kicker. He'd made other mistakes like leaving the security tapes in the apartment for anyone to see but thankfully through clever manipulation, he'd tricked Haley into letting him enter the premises and thus correct his mistake. When it came to Haley's finding out about the whole thing, he realised it probably wasn't a good idea to stash the belongings that he'd managed to salvage from the fire into the safety box. Who would have known that Dan actually kept his biggest secrets tucked away confines of his office drawer? If he'd known the code behind the picture was actually an encryption code or the fact that the check was actually written in the name of a contract killer, he certainly wouldn't left them in a place Haley could easily get access to. And even if he had known, had he not been called in for questioning that morning, he'd have fixed that mistake too. He'd organised everything, sent Haley away on a shopping trip, taken the day off from work, he was all set to clear his mistakes, except he never got the chance. If only he'd been more experienced in hiding evidence. They should have had a class called Murder 101 in high school mused Nathan. Things would have been so much easier that way.

After he'd finished his side of the story, Nathan looked to his beautiful girlfriend, anxious to see her reaction, anger, disappointment, anything, but what he saw was much worse. What he saw was nothing; her face was void of emotion.

She looked at him thoughtfully: "So who knew about all of this?"

"Me, Uncle Keith, Karen, Mouth and now you"

"Why not Lucas or Brooke, I mean they're close to Haley, they could've kept an eye on her".

"I know but Lucas can't lie. He would've told Haley sooner or later. I didn't want to take any risks".

"You must think I'm insane right? First wanting to take the fall, compelling everyone we know to help in establishing this farce and then breaking down and confessing to Haley."

"Foolish, yes. Crazy, no" she replied with a sad smile. She'd seen it coming long ago but hadn't wanted to face the truth until now: "You're still in love with her aren't you"?

He looked at her guiltily, not being able to verbalise his thoughts.

"It's okay to say it. I won't be mad", said Peyton as a lone tear escaped from her emerald green eyes.

"Why did you say yes?" he asked.

"To marriage? Partly because it was you and partly because there was no one else" she replied with such honestly that it shocked herself even.

Peyton could feel it, driving the last nail into the coffin, sealing the end of their short-lived relationship. Sure even after everything with Haley, when he'd virtually shut out the world, Nathan and she had remained friends. She became his support system in the days after the divorce. However, it wasn't until last summer that they rekindled their relationship. Did she love him? Yes. And did he love her back? Yes again, that much she was sure. If she asked him to marry her, he'd do it in an instant, that's the kind of man he'd become. But truth be told, there was no passion in their relationship. There was no point in compromising when it came to love, she'd learned that long ago.

"Why are you being so understanding Pey? I mean you hate Haley"

"I don't hate her Nate" declared Peyton resulting in a disbelieving stare from Nathan.

"What I'm serious. I don't _hate_ her. I _resent_ her. I've had people coming and going in and out of my life ever since I was born. First my mom, then dad, Ellie, Derek, Brooke, even you at one point".

Nathan looked away from her.

"I'm not making accusations Nate, I forgave you long ago. The point is Haley had everything I ever wanted. And she threw it all way and for what, a night out with Chris Keller? Please".

"Not for Chris Keller, for her love of music" corrected Nathan.

It hurt her to see the way Nathan still hung on to the past. "She may have loved her music, but she didn't have to abandon you to pursue it right? I mean if she'd asked you to come with her on tour, wouldn't you have done it?"

"In a heartbeat", replied Nathan. "You know, when Haley left, most people thought that I'd wanted divorce because she'd left me. For me it because wasn't the tour that was the problem. I'd gone to a couple of her shows, she was good Peyton, really good. She'd come on stage and the crowd would come alive. I saw the glazed looks, the looks of utter bliss, people loved her and she loved them. I'd seen a different side of her then and it had made me fall in love with her even more. I understood her need to pursue her dream, it's the same thing I felt about basketball."

"So what was the problem", questioned Peyton, intrigued.

"It was because of how little faith she had in us, that's the reason why I dissipated our marriage. Maybe it was my fault for asking her to marry me at such a young age. Maybe it was my fault; I pushed her into making this huge commitment when she wasn't ready for it. I knew she was the _one_ from the moment I kissed her for the first time but for her maybe it wasn't that simple. I was so deeply in love with her that I couldn't handle seeing her in bed with Keller."

Peyton carefully took off her engagement band and placed it in Nathan's palm. "This isn't for me. Give it to the one it was meant for, Haley".

It broke her heart to look at Nathan right now. She dried her tear streaked cheeks and continued: "This isn't the end Scott. I'll always be there when you need me". "Friends" she asked as she put forth her hand.

For a moment he seemed to hesitate but then he came back to form. He took her hand in his own and pulled her in for a tight hug. "Always" he whispered resting his chin on the crook of her neck.

***

"Case number C835400. The District of Columbia versus Haley James. One count of arson and murder in the first degree, how does the defendant plead?" questioned the judge in a monotonous voice. For the first time in her life, she understood what it was like to be on the other side, to have to face the disapproving eyes all around you. It's was an awful experience.

Haley stood up to answer the question but found someone else answering for her. "Your honour, my name is Jeffery Stevens, and I have been hired by Mr. Lucas Scott to represent Ms. James during the court proceedings", declared Haley's boss, without so much as even glancing at her.

"It was to my understanding that the defendant had waived her right to representation?"

"Yes your honour. However, I have here evidence suggesting that the defendant is mentally unstable and thus is not capable of making decisions to her best interest"

"Hand them over " ushered the judge, clearly annoyed by this new development.

Meanwhile Haley stood alone in the courtroom watching her life be controlled by those around her. She was a mere spectator in her own life.

_"_The following is the most recent psychological evaluation done by my client's personal psychiatrist, Marvin McFadden. As you'll see, Ms. James has a lifelong condition of frequent memory losses and –"

"Thank you Mr. Stevens. I will review the documents and then make my decision. Court is recessed for lunch"

After two days of intense arguments and testimonies from virtually everyone she'd known, a decision was finally reached. Though the case had been rather straight forward, it felt like the trial had been running for ages. Haley stood up as the representative of the jury stood beside the judge and read out the verdict that would forever change her future: "We the jury find the defendant, Haley James, on the count of arson, not guilty and on the count of murder in the first degree not guilty by reason of insanity".

"Very well, the court sentences you to six months of psychiatric treatment at the Fairview Mental Health Facility. This court is hereby adjourned."

Six Months Later

Haley walked out of the facility that had been her home for the last few months. For the first time in her life, she felt truly happy. She didn't feel the need to hide behind her work, nor did she feel the urge to have everything in her control. For the first time in her life Haley was completely at peace with herself. It was a brand new day, the sun was shining, the scent of fresh flowers tingled her nostrils and the afternoon mist gave her slight shiver. Haley walked out of the facility and found herself coming face to face with the love of her life.

A tall man with dark brown hair and crystalline blue eyes that made you feel like you were floating came forward with a bouquet in hand.

The man handed her the bouquet of lilies, her favourite, cupped her face, and tasted her cherry lips, enjoying the feel of her body pressed against his own.

"Welcome back" he said breathlessly, as he tasted her sweet lips one last time.

Epilogue

On a clear day when the sun was shining and the salty smell of the ocean filled the air, a little girl no older than two years of age played on the beach. Covered head toe in sand she looked at the sparkling blue ocean ahead. Like every other morning, she sat on her own, building her precious sand castles. She imagined what it would be like to live in a real one. She'd be the princess and everyone would have to follow her word. No one would be able to force her to eat her peas then would they? Then one day when she'd grow up to be as pretty as a swan, a handsome prince would whisk her away to his fairy castle and they'd live happily ever after.

_In the latest of "where are they now" we're talking about Haley James, a singer, a lawyer, a wife, a murderer? A few years ago, it was all anyone could talk about. For the longest time, we couldn't figure out who she was. If it weren't for the facts, it would be hard to believe that she even existed once. So now the million dollar question is where is she now? Some say she's been whisked off to some unknown island off the coast of __Argentina__, others say she's right here in good old __America__. What the truth is nobody knows. We asked her ex-husband and NBA all-star Nathan Scott and here's what he had to say:"All I can tell you is that she's alive and well" said Nathan with a peculiar smile spreading over his face._

_"So you've seen her then?" asked the woman with an inquisitive smirk._

"Mommy, Mommy look daddy's on TV and he's talking about you" exclaimed the little girl as she ran toward the beach house.

Upon hearing her child's voice, Haley emerged from inside carrying a picnic basket containing Emily's favourite foods. She looked at her daughter, sitting cross-legged in front of the TV looking as if she'd won a million bucks. Everyday that went by, Emily looked more and more like her father. Same sparkling blue eyes, same thin lips, she'd grow up to break a lot of hearts, that's for sure. A real stunner as Luke liked to call her.

"Mommy look daddy" she repeated once again pointing to the tiny portable TV resting on the white sand. Haley sat beside the little girl and gave her a special surprise: "This is for you".

Emily picked up the white postcard and examined the picture. It was a photo of the Olympic stadium in Brazil. The 2016 Olympics were in progress and her father was part of the dream team. She didn't know much about the game but one day she wanted to be as good as her father. And who knows, maybe one day she could play for the WNBA. Anything's possible right?

She flipped the post card and read its contents. She instantly recognised her father's writing. Her mom always thought it was messy and distracting but Emily thought otherwise. A bit sharp and yet curvy at places, she thought her daddy's writing had character.

_To: Emily and Haley Scott _

_2601, Crescent Sands_

_Myrtle Beach__, __SC_

_29405_

_Dear Emily,_

_I'm sorry I wasn't there for your birthday. I hope you had a great time. Did grandma Karen give you my present? You like the basketball right? It's purple, you favourite colour. I wish I could have been there to see my little girl turn two but what can I say daddy's gotta work. I'm in __Rio__ right now and we're kicking butt out there. If we win, you'll be the first to see the medal, I promise. Tell your mom not to worry about Uncle Luke and Aunt Brooke, both are doing well. Oh and I guess I should let you know, __you now have a baby cousin, his name Justin. Aunt Brooke can't wait for you guys to meet. I'll be home soon. Tell your mom I love her and both of you, try not to miss me too much. _

_See you soon._

_Love,_

_Daddy_

As the little girl drifted off into her own world, where only she and her father existed, Haley took out the second letter that had come in the mail and followed suit.

_My dear Haley,_

_It's only been a month since I've seen you but it seems so much longer. Late in the night I think about us and I try to remember what it has been like to be with you over the past few years. I think about you and I remember the days I came to visit you at the clinic. Even in the darkest moments, you brought light into my world. I look at you and the entire world fades. Do you remember your last day at __Fairview__, when I kissed you and asked you to marry me? That was truly the best day of my life. When I think of us today I can't believe that there was ever a time when we were apart. You once said that we were too young to get married. At the time I hadn't understood but now I do. Everyday at the clinic, when I came to visit you and we talked for hours on end until the nurses came and kicked me out, we got closer. With every word, every kiss, every touch, we began to understand each other in a way we never could when we were teenagers. I look back and I feel no anger for your having left the way you did. We were young and we needed to see the possibilities the world had to offer before we could choose our path. It was a mistake that only teenagers could make. People said that we wouldn't make it, that we were too different, they were wrong. When we were kids, I'd known it then and I know it now, you and I, we were meant to be. Just look at us now, one beautiful child and another on the way. In these last couple of years we've made a life for ourselves that most can only dream of. _

_Dan was an awful person in life. He lied, he cheated, he killed your parents for god's sake but he also gave us the one thing that we both longed for -- love. His passing brought us together again and for that I am thankful._

_Friday is our second anniversary, two beautiful years and many more to come. I'm counting the days till I return home, so I can have you in my arms and watch our children grow and prosper. _

_~Nathan._


End file.
